Hold on to This
by Beebow
Summary: Finn Hudson had it all. The girl, the popularity, and the full ride scholarship to Ohio State. However, during his senior year of high school Finn was in a freak car accident, damaging his hippocampus and his ability to store short-term memories. It's now four years later and Finn is still dealing with a day to day struggle of where eighteen-year-old Finn ends and where he begins.
1. Chapter 1

The alarm clock began to chime from the nightstand, waking Finn suddenly. He sat up quickly, feeling his heart race as he looked around the room.

"Where am I?" he whispered to himself repeatedly as he studied the sticky notes hanging on random pieces of furniture.

Finn turned back to the alarm clock and quickly turned it off, cutting off the annoying ringing in his ears.

He noticed a sticky note sitting on his nightstand in front of the clock.

_Call Santana._

Finn picked up the sticky note and read it over again. "Call Santana…call Santana." He looked around his room, trying to find his phone. Finally, he found it sitting on his desk and jumped up to grab it, quickly finding Santana's name in his contact list.

The phone rang once before he heard Santana's voice on the other end.

"Right on time, Hudson," she said, sounding slightly amused.

"Santana, what's going on? Where am I?" Finn asked breathlessly.

"Oh, okay. I see we're going for the flustered and scared reaction this morning so I'll cut to the chase. There's a file on top of your laptop. Open it up and read through it," she ordered.

Finn found the file and furrowed his brow at the words written across it.

"Read me every morning," Finn read to himself.

"Open it," Santana ordered again.

Finn did as he was told and opened up the file, feeling his heart race faster as he looked over the first page.

"I had an accident?" Finn asked as he shuffled through the pages.

Santana cleared her throat. "Just keep reading, Finn."

Finn nodded to himself and continued to read through the file, focusing on one doctor's report.

All the facts were overwhelming as Finn read through each page. His breathing became heavier and he ran a hand through his hair as he finished the last page.

"Oh God," he whispered, hearing Santana sigh through the phone.

"Talk to me, Finn. Tell me what's going through your head."

"I…I, uh, don't know. Everything just kind of feels jumbled," Finn said, his head suddenly beginning to hurt.

"I know. You say that all the time, but try to relax. Talk through everything with me."

Finn sighed and gripped a handful of hair in his hand. "So I was in a car accident on December 18th, 2009…" He stopped, realizing he didn't know what the current date was.

"It's January 10th, 2014," Santana informed him. "It has been about four years since the accident."

Finn fell silent for a moment, feeling the color drain from his face.

"Keep talking, Finn," Santana said, her voice sad but calming.

"I was driving home from a football banquet at McKinley when I was hit head on by another driver who had slid on black ice. According to the reports I slammed my head on my steering wheel first and then against my window, causing serious damage to my head."

"The doctor's said it affected something in your hippocampus, basically wiping out your short term memory. Everything before the accident is perfectly intact, but everything afterward you forget as soon as you go to sleep," Santana helped him.

Finn nodded. "So when this all happened I was a senior in high school."

"Yup. We all got the news when we got back to school on Monday. It was in the paper and on the news, but they made a huge announcement in the morning…it was a hard time for everyone," Santana said.

"Everyone cared that much?" Finn asked, feeling surprised.

"You were the quarterback of the football team, Finn. Of course everyone was worried. You were like a God to those kids."

"That banquet…" Finn started. "That was to celebrate the news that I just got into Ohio State on a full ride scholarship." It wasn't a question and Santana didn't confirm his statement. Instead a silence stretched between them for a moment as Finn tried to come to terms with his new situation.

Tears stung the back of his eyes. "Do I call you every morning?" he asked.

"Yes. Every morning."

"And you answer these same questions every time? Doesn't that get tiring?"

"No, not at all. I'm actually happy to be the one to go through this with you every morning. It's not always the same either. Sometimes you're much more calm and collected and only ask me a few questions. Other times you're panicked, like this morning," Santana said.

"Well you're a good friend for doing this," Finn concluded. "I would probably be an even bigger mess without you," he laughed, studying the sticky notes hung up all over his room.

"Better safe than sorry. Anyway, if you open up your computer I think you have a schedule written down for yourself for the day. You usually do that ahead of time so that you remember appointments and everything," Santana said, making Finn turn back to his laptop.

He quickly opened it up and sure enough the computer woke up to reveal a calendar in front of him with a list of things for Finn to do. He sat down in his computer chair, leaning back as he took a deep breath.

"The file said I live alone in an apartment in Lima and work at a bicycle shop just down the street. Is that still accurate?" Finn asked.

"Yeah. Lima Bikes. You've worked there for two years now."

"Right, okay," Finn said, reading over his to do list for the day.

_-Work shift at Lima Bikes from 10 AM – 6 PM_

_-Grocery shopping; need milk, eggs, popcorn, and AA batteries_

_-Call mom _

"My mom," Finn stated. "Is she okay? How has she been all these years?"

Santana hesitated for a moment. "Oh…she's good. She struggled with your accident for a little while, but then the doctor suggested that you get back on your feet and start a life on your own."

Finn nodded. "I have it written on my schedule to call her."

"You usually call her everyday," Santana informed him.

"Right, of course. That sounds like me."

Silence stretched out between them again before Finn cleared his throat.

"Okay. I better get ready for work. I don't want to be late on what feels like my first day," he let out a sad laugh.

"Call me if you need anything. I always have my phone."

"Will do. Thanks for everything, San."

"My pleasure. Good luck today," Santana said, sounding a little happier.

Finn hung up the phone and then placed it on his desk. He let out a long sigh as he looked at all the papers on his desk. They all most likely meant something yesterday, but were meaningless to him now.

All of this was too overwhelming and all he could think about was taking a shower. Finn stood from his chair and walked to a closed door in his room, but ended up only walking into his closet.

"Okay, not the bathroom," he said to himself as he moved out of the small room and closed the door.

He then moved to the other closed door, finding his bathroom. More sticky notes coated his mirror, catching Finn off guard.

Finn wondered how many people came over to his place, and if they saw the sticky notes he had scattered everywhere. What did the say anyway?

He leaned forward and read one that was currently at eye level.

"Put Mederma on scar," he said allowed, immediately furrowing his brow.

"Scar?" he asked as he looked into his mirror. His eyes instantly caught sight of a slight scar on the left side of his face, causing him to turn his head to get a better view. The scar wasn't anything serious and was almost unnoticeable unless you chose to acknowledge it.

Finn realized that was the side of his face that had hit the window when he had been in the car accident. It looked like there was more damage done then he had realized. That thought made him laugh. How much more damage could there be? He couldn't even remember what happened over the last four years of his life.

He gave his face another once over, frowning at the slightly pink scar. He then turned away from the mirror and started up the shower.

Once Finn was showered and dressed, he went out to his kitchen and groaned at the sight of the sticky notes on his fridge and cabinets.

"I get it. I'm an idiot," he said with an annoyed tone to only himself.

Finn wondered where he left his keys and wallet, hoping that he wouldn't have to rely on hints from the notes to find them.

He felt a flood of relief hit him as he found both items on a small shelf close to his front door. He slid his wallet into his pocket and pulled on his jacket, wondering how cold it was outside. Once he was ready to leave he reached for the door, but paused when he read the note just above the doorknob.

"Don't forget notebook," Finn said allowed. He figured this note was important because it was written in thick capital letters.

"Notebook…notebook," Finn said as he looked back to the shelf, finding a brown leather journal. He grabbed it from the shelf and opened it for a moment, seeing the pages loaded with endless notes. All the words laid out before him instantly hurt his brain. However, it looked like he used the book as some sort of diary and it seemed like it did him some good.

Shrugging to himself, Finn exited his apartment and locked the door behind him. He made his way down to the street and headed in the direction that his file claimed Lima Bikes was. Sure enough, after a few blocks he found the small building lined with bikes in the front windows. Finn couldn't remember ever caring for bikes much, but it looked like this was what he relied on now to pay whatever bills he had.

Entering the building, Finn was immediately faced with a smiling man with salt and pepper hair.

"Finn! How's it going?"

"Uh…good," Finn answered, feeling guilty that he didn't know the man's name.

"I'm Walter. I own this store and I'm your boss," the man informed him, keeping the same warm smile on his face.

Finn smiled back. "Right. It's nice to see you again?" he said, feeling strange since it was as if he had just met the man for the first time.

"Puck is in the back working on one of our bikes already. He'll get you set up back there," Walter said, gesturing towards the door to the back room.

"Puck?" Finn asked, feeling a smile slowly spread across his face.

Walter laughed. "That's your reaction every time I say that to you."

Finn's smile widened as he headed to the back room and entered to find Puck studying a bike chain. Puck looked up at Finn and nodded at him, looking as if he had been expecting him.

"Puck! Man, am I glad to see you!" Finn said as Puck stood from the bike.

"Good to see you too, buddy," Puck said, bumping his shoulder into Finn's.

"So this is where we work, huh?" Finn laughed, looking at all the bikes lined up in the room.

"Yup. Not the greatest place, but it puts money in our pockets," Puck said moving back to the bike he was working on.

"Have we worked here the same amount of time?"

Puck nodded. "Yeah. I went job-hunting with you when you were free to go back to living your own life. We thought it would be better for you to have someone you know close by. Who better than your best friend, right?"

Finn laughed as he pulled off his jacket. "Right. But uh…why bikes? I don't know anything about bikes."

"You didn't and you still think you don't. But once you sit down and look at it, it'll just come to you," Puck said, nodding at a bike that needed to be fixed.

"But my short term memory…" Finn started.

"Is shot," Puck cut in. "Yeah, I know. But somehow you remember how to fix a bike. You're damn good at it too."

Finn looked at the bike and moved towards it, studying it for a moment. Sure enough he recognized the issue right away and found himself reaching for a tool he probably couldn't even name.

"Told you," Puck said, shooting Finn an amused smile.

"Do you have to tell me that everyday?" Finn asked.

"Nah, some days you just come in, greet me, and then sit down at the bike. I think you just want to accept the challenge some days while you're a little hesitant others."

"Yeah…it seems like today has been an off day," Finn said as he worked on the bike.

"Don't sweat it, man. I'm here to help you out," Puck said, his voice serious.

Finn smiled in reply, silently thanking Puck.

It was a long day filled with dirtied up hands and jokes with his best friend, but finally Finn was off at six. He said goodbye to Walter, knowing already that he wouldn't recognize the man when he saw him again tomorrow. Puck walked out of work with him, pulling out his car keys when they reached the small parking lot.

"Where do you live now anyway?" Finn asked.

"A little ways from here. San and I got our own place in Lima Heights together about a year ago," Puck said, stopping in front of his truck.

"Oh, dude. I didn't know you and San were together still. That's awesome!" Finn said, a smile spreading across his face.

Puck laughed. "It's pretty awesome. She's a pain in the ass sometimes, but she's my pain in the ass."

Finn nodded. "It must be nice to have someone," he said as he slipped his hands in his pockets.

Puck's smile fell from his face. "Oh…Finn, is that bugging you again?"

"Again?" Finn asked, raising a brow.

"Yeah. You bring that up now and then. Sometimes you claim you're better off alone and then other times you mention how it would be nice to date again."

Finn felt another sharp pain spark in his head. Frequent headaches seemed to go hand in hand with his memory loss.

"It's weird how everyone else knows all the details about my life while I can't remember anything," Finn shrugged.

Puck's hand gripped Finn's shoulder and he gave him a sympathetic smile. "Don't be hard on yourself, dude. You know more than you think you do."

Finn pressed his lips firmly together, not quite believing his best friend's words. He knew that Puck was only trying to reassure him, but there was just so many holes in Finn's memory that it felt like he was in a never ending free fall.

"I have to get home to San, but you can call either of us if you need anything at all. Okay, man?" Puck said, removing his hand from Finn's shoulder.

Finn nodded. "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow I assume?"

"Yup! Bright and early tomorrow. See ya!"

Puck slipped inside his truck and started it up as Finn began his walk back to his place. There was a chill in the air, but Finn still took his time as he strolled along. The events of the day were swirling all around him, making his head hurt more with each step.

He pushed away his thoughts and decided to glance around at the shops surrounding him. Some of the store names he recognized from when he used to go shopping with his mom from time to time. As he continued to walk he noticed a sign to a store that he didn't remember from years ago.

"Music Go Round," Finn furrowed his brow as he spoke the name aloud. He could see guitars hanging through the window and what looked liked a few pianos.

A sudden interest sparked inside Finn as he wondered if the store had any drums. He had played for many years before his accident, but he had no idea if he had played since. Finn stopped in front of the store and stood there for a moment before heading inside.

Once inside, Finn looked around himself at all the instruments laid out before him. There were a wide variety of electric instruments, string instruments, sheet music, guitar straps, reeds, and much more neatly organized in separate sections. He began to wonder if the shop really didn't have any drums.

He turned towards one of the pianos only a few steps away from him and began to play a few keys.

"Hi. Can I help you?" Finn heard a strangely familiar voice ring from behind him, causing him to slowly turn around.

His eyes grew wide as he caught sight of a small brunette with large brown eyes looking up at him. The girl seemed to instantly mirror his expression upon seeing him.

"Finn Hudson," she spoke, catching Finn by surprise.

"Yeah…it's Rachel, right? Rachel Berry."

"Yes..." Rachel said sounding nervous. She quickly cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders, looking more composed. "Yes, that's correct."

"Wow…I haven't seen you in…" Finn trailed off. According to his impaired memory he had technically seen her what was yesterday to him. However, he wasn't sure when the last time he had actually seen her had been.

Rachel nods. "It has been a while." Apparently she wasn't going to helping him out. She had to know about his accident, right?

"Has it?" Finn asked. A small smile formed on his lips, which Rachel reciprocated.

She let out a small laugh and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, technically we saw each other at Sue Sylvester's funeral a year ago."

The color drained from Finn's face quickly. "Oh my God. Sue Sylvester died?"

Rachel's eyes grew wide as she realized what information she had just given to him.

"I'm…I'm so sorry. I should have known that you didn't know that and I feel horrible for just throwing it on you. Oh no…" she trailed off, slight panic on her face.

"No, it's okay," Finn said a little breathless. Was it this hard everyday? Or were there days where he managed not to get information like this that caught him so off guard?

"It's not your fault. I just can't believe Ms. Sylvester passed away…she was only like forty and built like a tank," Finn said, looking down at the ground.

"True…I don't think anyone believed her when she announced she was sick. But she was diagnosed with Leukemia three years ago and I guess it spread quickly in two years until it officially got the best of her," Rachel explained, sounding more relaxed.

Finn looked back up at Rachel and sighed. "Wow. That's crazy."

Rachel shrugged. "I know. Everyone took it pretty hard."

"I would imagine so," Finn said.

The room grew quiet and both Finn and Rachel began to look around the room.

"Well uh…I'm just going to look around," Finn said, gesturing towards the guitars.

"Oh! Of course! Go ahead and let me know if you need anything," Rachel said as she shot him a wide smile.

Her smile made Finn feel suddenly weak at his knees. It was so full and beautiful, lighting up the whole room.

All he could do was smile before he turned away and walked back to the guitars. He could feel Rachel's eyes on his back, making him feel slightly self-conscious.

Finn remembered going to high school with the brunette. She had been involved with the Glee club at McKinley and all the plays or musicals, while Finn was fully invested in sports and popularity. However, even though they came from different social groups, Finn had always had a crush on Rachel back then. Puck had told Finn multiple times that Finn could have any girl he wanted since he was the quarterback and the most popular guy in school, but he didn't want just anyone. He had always wanted to ask Rachel on a date, but that might have meant constant ridicule.

As Finn neared the guitars, he pretended to be interested in the different colors and shapes hanging before him. In reality, Finn didn't know anything about guitars. He only really knew about the drums.

Finn slowly turned around to find Rachel standing behind a glass case, focused on the wood instruments that lay inside.

"Uh…" he started, causing Rachel to instantly look up at him. "Do you have any drums by chance?"

Rachel smiled, once again making Finn feel slightly weak.

"Of course. They're in a separate room in the back in case people want to play them because of the noise," Rachel said as she began to walk to the back of the store.

Finn moved quickly in order to follow her. Once they reached the back, Rachel opened a door and led him into a room that contained multiple drum sets.

A smile spread across Finn's face upon seeing all of the kits. He felt excitement grow inside of him as he looked at each, picking out which one he wanted to play. He finally picked a medium sized kit and sat down on the leather seat. There was a pair of sticks sitting on the snare drum that Finn picked up and spun in his fingers a little.

"Um…" Finn heard Rachel say, causing him to turn to look at her.

"Is it safe for you to play considering your head injury?" she asked. "I'm not trying to be mean or anything! I just want to make sure that you're going to be okay."

Finn looked back at the drums in front of him and thought about Rachel's words. They slightly annoyed him, but he knew that she was right. His own thoughts had been giving him headaches all day, and he was sure loud noises were only going to make his head hurt worse.

Finn nodded and then set down the sticks on the snare again.

"You're right. I probably shouldn't play…" Finn said, trailing off as an idea suddenly came to him. He retrieved his leather notebook from his coat pocket as well as his pen and opened to a clean page to jot down a few things.

_1/10/2014_

_Ask Puck if it's okay to play the drums._

He then slid his notebook and pen back into his jacket, before standing up from the drum seat.

"Well, thanks for taking me back here," he said, looking over to Rachel and shooting her a smile.

She smiled widely back at him. "My pleasure. You can come back here anytime you want."

Finn felt his smile go slightly goofy at Rachel's words. "I'll have to take you up that."

Rachel giggled slightly and Finn noticed how her cheeks looked slightly pink.

The two walked back to the front of the store together. Finn enjoyed the way that the silence between them wasn't awkward. If anything, it was comfortable.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around?" Finn asked, hoping that he would.

Rachel nodded, standing up straight. "I sure hope so."

Finn chuckled and headed towards the door. "See ya."

"Bye," Rachel said sweetly, giving him a small wave.

Once Finn was out of the store, he retrieved his small notebook from his pocket and opened it to the same page as before.

_Rachel Berry, Music Go Round_

His newly written words made him smile as he thought about his small run in with his high school crush. The girl he had noticed the first week of his freshman year and had admired everyday up until his accident.

Finn suddenly furrowed his brow as he continued to stare at Rachel's name. A sudden thought entered his mind that made his chest grow slightly tight.

No matter how much he had liked Rachel back in high school, he never managed to ask her out and he hadn't even realized why until just now.

Finn quickly dug into the pocket of his jeans and retrieved his phone from his pocket. He clicked the call button and waited impatiently as the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Santana, what happened to Quinn?"


	2. Chapter 2

Finn stood at the bottom of the stairs, shuffling from one foot to the other as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"So, Finn. Quinn tells me that you're going to be playing in front of Cooter Menkins in the fall for the Ohio State football scholarship. That's pretty exciting," Mr. Fabray said as he stood with Finn.

"Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it. I think I have a really good chance at it. Couch Beiste says that I do too," Finn said, a smile forming on his lips.

"Well, we're all rooting for you. It would be a really good opportunity for you," Mr. Fabray concluded, taking a swig of his scotch.

Suddenly, Finn heard a door open from upstairs and turned around to see Quinn walking down the stairs. He felt his eyes grow wide as he saw how flawless his girlfriend looked in her pale blue dress and perfect bun.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Quinn placed a hand on Finn's cheek and gave him a weak smile.

"You look absolutely beautiful," Finn whispered to her.

Her smile grew wider as Quinn leaned up and pressed her lips into Finn's.

"Alright, you two. Get over here and let's talk a picture!" Mrs. Fabray said, causing Finn to pull away from his kiss with Quinn. Finn then showed Quinn the box in his hands containing her corsage, enjoying the way that her eyes lit up. He then opened it up and placed the corsage on her wrist; glad to see she seemed to approve of the color.

They both smiled at each other once more before moving in front of the door for Quinn's mom to take a few shots.

"You two look so good together," she said as she took the tenth picture. "Can you believe that our daughter is going to the junior prom, Russell?"

Ms. Fabray took one more picture before setting down the camera. She then moved to give both Quinn and Finn a hug, overjoyed by the excitement of the night.

"Alright, Judy. We better let them get going. We don't want them to be late, especially because they're up for Prom royalty," Russell said, putting his arm around his wife.

"Thank you, daddy. I'll see you both later," Quinn said, taking Finn's hand and leading him out of the house.

"Be safe!" her mom called from behind them as they climb into Finn's truck.

As Finn started up the truck, Quinn pulled down the visor in front of her and began to touch up her lipstick.

"I think we definitely have a good chance of winning tonight. I mean, we're up against Santana Lopez and Noah Puckerman. It really shouldn't be that hard," Quinn said, sounding slightly bitter.

"Hey, they're our best friends. You don't have to be so harsh," Finn said as he pulled out her driveway.

"I'm just saying, Finn. They don't have the same level of popularity as you and I do. They're going to fall flat on their faces."

Finn grew silent as Quinn expressed her opinion about the Prom royalty topic once again. He was glad to be going to prom with her, but he also couldn't wait until this was all over and things could go back to normal.

"Even if we don't win." Finn started, causing Quinn to look over at him. "You're still going to be the most beautiful girl there tonight."

He could see Quinn smile from the corner of his eye.

"I love you," she said, placing her hand on his thigh.

A half crooked smile spread across Finn's lips as he glanced over at her. "I love you too."

* * *

A loud ringing suddenly filled Finn's ears, causing his heart to pound in his chest. His eyes flew open to reveal a foreign room, only raising his nerves even more. He quickly turned to the alarm clock, turning it off as he saw a sticky note sitting right in front of it.

_Call Santana._

Finn jumped out of his bed and began to look around frantically, finally finding his phone on his desk.

"Hello?" Santana said when she answered the phone.

"Santana," Finn said, a little out of breath. "Where am I? Why are there so many sticky notes? Where's my mom?"

He pulled the phone away from his ear slightly and turned towards the door of his room.

"Mom?" he yelled, feeling his heart race further when she didn't answer.

"Finn! Relax! She's not there. There's a file on your computer. Open it, read it, calm down," Santana ordered.

Finn did as he was told and after ten minutes he was sitting in his desk chair, completely at rest.

"Well that's a lot to take in," he said, closing the file and placing it back on his desk. "I guess I'll open up my computer and see what's on my schedule for today then?" he asked, hoping that was what he usually did.

"Exactly. You're going to be okay, Finn. Let me know if you need anything," Santana said, getting ready to hang up the phone.

"Santana, wait!" Finn said, suddenly thinking about his dream.

"I was having a dream right before I woke up…it was about Quinn and we were going to the prom, but it all felt so real," he explained.

"Oh…well, those are not only just dreams, but they're also flashbacks. They feel real because they're actually pieces of your memory before the accident happened and they're usually really vivid. You've had a lot of them before," Santana explained.

"I have?"

"Yes, it's perfectly normal," she reassured him.

Finn let out a small sigh. "Okay…but where is Quinn?"

Suddenly, there was a loud crash from Santana's end of the phone.

"Damnit. I have to go, Finn. I just broke my favorite mug. I'll talk to you later."

Before Finn could reply, Santana had already hung up the phone. He pulled the phone away from his ear and hit the end button, placing it on his desk.

_Okay…what was I supposed to do next? Oh, right. Look at my schedule._

Finn pulled open his laptop and was immediately greeted by a document that contained a small list.

_1/11/2014:_

_-Work shift at Lima Bikes from 8 AM - 11 AM_

_-Ask Puck if it's okay to play the drums_

_-Rachel Berry, Music Go Round_

_-Call Mom_

Furrowing his brow, Finn read over the second and third entry on the list a few times.

_Drums? Rachel Berry? What on Earth was I talking about? _

Finn attempted to scroll down in the document, but there was nothing more to read.

_I really need to work on my detail skills._

Deciding not to linger on the thought for too long, Finn got up from his desk and started his morning routine. Once he was done, he found his keys and wallet, and grabbed his leather notebook after the note on the door said to do so. He made his way quickly to work and was met by an eager looking man upon entering Lima Bikes.

"Hey, Finn! I'm Walter, your boss. Puck is in the back already working on some bikes!" the man informed him.

Finn's face lit up. "Puck…" However, he stopped himself, wondering if this was his normal reaction.

"Thanks," Finn said as he walked quickly to the backroom and slipped inside.

"What's up, Finn? Good to see you," Puck said when he caught sight of his best friend.

Finn nodded and slid out of his jacket. "Yeah, good to see you too." He wanted to ask more questions, but he was suddenly afraid of asking the same questions as yesterday.

_That had to get annoying to Puck, right? Just sit down and start working._

Finn sat down and began to work on the bike in front of him, surprised that he still knew how to fix the bike's issues. He glanced over at Puck for a moment and furrowed his brow.

_There's something that I was supposed to ask him, but what was it._

Finn retrieved his phone from his pocket and opened his to do list that he had saved.

_Ask Puck if it's okay to play the drums. _

Finn looked back up at Puck and cleared his throat.

"Hey, uh…I have a question."

"Shoot, dude," Puck said, reaching for another tool.

"Is it okay for me to play the drums? I'm not sure why I'm supposed to ask you that, but apparently I wrote it down yesterday that I needed to."

Puck glanced over at Finn, pausing from his work.

"I actually don't know. You've never asked me that question before and I don't think you've ever wondered about that at all," Puck said. He then looked down at the ground, appearing to be lost in thought.

Finn looked back down at the list and read over Rachel's name again. Did that go hand in hand with the whole drums thing? Or was there supposed to be something important he remembered about his old high school crush.

"What about Rachel Berry? I have her name listed here along with something called Music Go Round. Is that important?" Finn asked, looking over at Puck again.

Puck furrowed his brow and held out his hand, signaling that he wanted Finn to hand him his phone. Finn complied and passed it to him, watching Puck as he read over the list.

After a moment, Puck only shrugged. "You'll have to ask your doctor about the drums thing because I'm not exactly sure. As for Rachel Berry, I've never really heard you mention anything about her. But I do know that she works down the street at an actual shop called Music Go Round. Maybe you saw her there?"

Puck gave Finn back his phone, and seemed to watch Finn for a moment. Finn only sighed and slipped his phone back into his pocket. As he put his phone away he also grabbed his leather notebook from his other pocket and turned to a clean page.

_1/11/2014_

_-Be more vague with notes._

_-Write in "Read me every morning" file that you work with Puck at Lima Bikes._

He then put his pen and notebook away before bringing his attention back to his bike.

"Something going on, man?" Puck asked, still eyeing him curiously.

Finn let out a small laugh. "How the hell am I supposed to know? I have no idea what is going on in my own life at all. Everything I know what was written in a file that I read every single day," Finn said, his tone bitter and cold.

"Finn…" Puck started.

"There are so many holes everywhere I look. I don't know why I asked about the drums or why I even mentioned Rachel Berry. Hell, I can't even remember what I put in my body for dinner last night for Christ's sake," Finn continued, throwing his tools back into a metal box next to him.

Puck's full attention was on Finn now and it was clear that he was a bit alarmed. "Finn, calm down. Getting upset about it only makes it worse."

Finn combed a dirty hand through his hair and began to shake his head. "I don't know how much worse it can get. I try to look back at my own life and all I see is darkness until I get to the night of the football banquet."

"That's what I'm here for. You can ask me anything you want and I can answer it for you," Puck reassured him.

"What about the drums and Rachel?" Finn asked, looking at his best friend.

Puck's face became expressionless as he stared at Finn blankly.

"If you're not there at a specific moment then there's no way I'll know about it the next day," Finn said, feeling his throat tighten slightly.

"Then you can call me every night and give me a report of your day. I'll remember everything and tell you all about it the next day," Puck said, attempting to sound optimistic.

Finn shook his head and furrowed his brow. "There's a part of everyone's life that should be special and private. I wouldn't have that…I don't even have that now."

Finn stood from his chair and grabbed his coat from the hook on the wall.

"Where are you going, Finn?" Puck asked as he stood from his own chair.

_Where am I going? I barely even know where I am right now or what my life consists of anymore._

"I don't know," Finn said finally. "I just need to get out of here."

Finn walked out the door into the main shop area and made his way to the front door.

"Going somewhere, Finn?" he heard someone say from behind him, causing him to turn around.

Walter was standing behind the cash register, looking worried but still somehow chipper.

"Finn's having an off day, Walt. I think he needs to head out early," Puck said from his place by the backroom door.

Walt nodded and smiled over at Finn. "Alright, son. Do what you need to do."

Finn furrowed his brow and looked at both Puck and Walter.

_Does stuff like this happen all the time? Are they used to me just storming out of here like some kind of nut case? _

Finally, Finn only nodded to both of them and turned around again, heading out of the store. Once he was outside he looked around himself, still contemplating where he should go.

_Rachel Berry, Music Go Round._

Finn shuffled his feet slightly and thought about the brunette from his high school days. He still saw her as the short, moon eyed girl who wore bizarre animals sweaters. However, he thought her strange fashion choices were always quite cute.

_Should I go see her? I don't even really know where that store is located._

Looking in the direction of his place, Finn figured that was the best direction to go.

_But what am I even supposed to say to her? I don't even remember what happened yesterday, which could definitely lead to trouble. There's also the possibility of her not even being there._

There were so many doubts bouncing around in Finn's mind. He needed to do something and the only thing that seemed to make the most sense was to head over to Rachel's store.

Suddenly, Finn started walking in the direction of his apartment, reading each store sign as he made his way down the street. Sure enough he found a large black sign that read Music Go Round in curvy letters. Finn stopped in front of the store, noting the way his heart was beating.

"Right. Now or never," he said to himself as he walked up and opened the door. He was immediately hit by a scent that smelled a little like Windex.

"Hi. Welcome to Music Go Round," Finn heard a sweet voice say from his right, causing his head to snap over.

_Woah._

Rachel was standing at one of the glass cases, looking down at the glass as she sprayed a new coat of Windex and then wiped it away. Finn realized that she had been so focused on her cleaning that she hadn't even looked up at him.

"Rachel?" he said, causing the girl to glace over at him.

"Oh, Finn!" she said, looking slightly embarrassed. "I didn't know it was you."

Rachel set down her spray bottle and washcloth before turning towards Finn more.

"I'm surprised to see you back again today," she said, a large smile spreading across her face.

Finn felt his stomach do a backflip and his mouth go slightly dry as he stared at her stunning smile.

"Oh, yeah…Um…" he trailed off, looking down at the ground. After a moment, Finn let out a small sigh.

"Look, Rachel. I'm sure you know that I don't really remember anything about yesterday, which really sucks. But I was hoping that you could help me out," Finn said, looking back up at her.

Rachel nodded, looking more serious. "Of course, Finn. I would love to offer my services in any way that I can."

Finn frowned slightly as he stood there for a moment only staring at her.

_God, she's so beautiful and put together. I'm just a mess that has come to screw up her day. Worst part is, she'll remember this tomorrow when I most likely won't._

Finn sighed, but still moved forward to stand on the opposite side of the glass case from her. He pulled out the leather notebook from his pocket and opened it to the page that contained the notes from the day before.

"I'm really sorry that I have to ask you about all of this. Especially because you remember everything about yesterday when I can't remember anything at all," Finn said sadly.

Rachel quickly shook her head. "It's really no trouble at all."

Finn pressed his lips firmly together and placed his notebook on the counter so that Rachel could see what he had written.

"I wrote down yesterday something about needing to ask Puck if it was okay for me to play the drums. I don't know why, but I was hoping it had something to do with this place," Finn said, looking gloomily at her.

"You did ask me about our drums yesterday. I took you to the backroom where we keep our kits and you basically looked like a little boy on Christmas morning," she explained as Finn hung on to her every word.

"But then you looked like you were going to start playing at one point and I just asked you if it was okay for you to play in your…condition. Then you said I was right and pulled out this notebook. I guess that's when you wrote down the note to ask Noah about the drums."

Finn nodded, annoyed that even with all the details he still couldn't remember the incident that occurred yesterday. He looked down at the notebook and then saw Rachel's name written there, reminding him that he had other questions.

"I also have your name written down and the name of this store. Do you know anything about that? Did I make some sort of appointment or need to pick something up?" Finn asked.

Rachel looked down at Finn's notes again and read her name, looking slightly surprised.

Finally, she shook her head. "No. You didn't schedule anything or request anything to pick up."

Finn furrowed his brow at his notes. "Then I wonder why I have your name written down."

"Maybe you just wanted to see me again," Rachel offered in an amused voice, causing Finn to look up at her.

He couldn't help but smile at the current smirk across her face. "Yeah. Maybe I did," he said back in a soft voice.

The two stood there for a moment only smiling at each other before Finn let out a small laugh.

"So, uh, did anything else happen when I was in here yesterday?" he asked, as he closed his notebook and placed back in his pocket.

Rachel looked lost in thought for a moment and then shrugged. "Not really. You came in, we greeted each other and talked about Sue Sylvester's funeral, and then you…"

"What?" Finn asked breathlessly, cutting Rachel off. "Ms. Sylvester died?"

Rachel's eyes grew wide suddenly. "Oh God. That's the second time I've done that."

_God damnit. Apparently I need to start writing every little thing down._

Finn sighed and pulled out his notebook once again.

"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault. I should have written it down."

Finn turned the notebook so that it was facing Rachel and held out his pen to her.

"Would you actually mind writing that down? Just so I don't have to ask you for all the details again and I can read over it later," Finn asked.

Rachel looked at the pen for a moment, looking as if she were contemplating something. However, she took the pen from Finn and nodded.

"Of course," she said as she began to write just below Finn's other note from earlier that day.

Finn was relieved that Rachel was so willing to help him out. He could imagine that having to deal with his cluelessness was annoying to most people.

As Rachel continued to write, Finn began to look around him, impressed by how neat and organized everything was around him. He assumed Rachel was the one to blame for that. Every time he had seen her throughout high school she was always so structured in everything that she did. It was easy to tell by her class presentations or musical performances that she was a definite perfectionist.

Finally, Finn heard Rachel close his notebook, turning his attention back to her.

"There you go," Rachel said with a smile as she handed him back his notebook.

"Thank you," he said, taking it from her. Finn's fingers brushed Rachel's for a moment, making his face grow slightly warm. However, he quickly cleared his throat and put his notebook away once again.

"Well, I better be going. I have a few more things to take care of today. But…I'll see you around?" Finn asked, wishing that he could say it as more of a statement.

Rachel gave him a small smile. "Yeah. Sounds good."

Finn gave Rachel one last smile as he headed out of the store and back into the cold Lima air. He decided to head back to his place in order to piece some of his notes together.

_Maybe if I write down as much as I can about Rachel then I'll manage to remember to go see her in her store because I want to and not because I'm looking for information. _

Finn hurried back to his place and soon he was walking through his front door. He took off his jacket and headed into his bedroom, sitting down at his desk in order to access his computer. As soon as he had a blank document sitting in front of him, Finn dug out his notebook and opened it up to the page reserved for today.

His eyes grew wide as he noticed how long Rachel's note was, making him eager to read.

_Sue Sylvester passed away in October of 2012. She was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2010, which quickly took a toll on her over the next two years. She spent her final two years of her life helping the Glee club at McKinley instead of trying to destroy it. She also gave a large amount of money that she had saved over the years to fund the arts at McKinley. Basically every resident in Lima, Ohio attended her funeral and believe it or not, you and I ended up sitting next to each other. If you're reading this at a moment that you no longer remember who is the one writing this note, then I'll let you know that it's Rachel Berry. I work at Music Go Round and you came in the past two days. The first day to see if we had any drums, and the second day to see me. I would really like to see you again, but maybe this time someplace outside of my work. _

Finn felt his heart race as he noticed what was neatly printed under Rachel's long note.

_Rachel Berry_

_567-555-8076_

He couldn't help but laugh to himself as he read over Rachel's phone number over and over again. Finn quickly reached for his phone and found Santana's name in his phonebook.

"Hello? Finn, are you okay? Puck said that you left work early today and seemed really upset?" Santana asked immediately as she picked up the phone.

Finn had been so focused on what had occurred between Rachel and him that he had completely forgotten what had happened at work.

"Wait, why did Puck tell you that?" Finn asked.

"Because he's my boyfriend and tells me everything, especially when it comes to you," Santana said, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Woah. You two are still dating?" Finn asked, quickly turning a page in his notebook to jot down that note.

"Yes, we are. And don't even bother writing that down in your little book. You'll forget about it in a few days when you stop writing it in your daily computer notes," Santana said.

Finn paused for a moment, staring down at the words he had written. "Then why don't I just put it in my 'Read me every morning' file?" he asked.

"It's not important enough to be placed in that file. Only information about your accident, your current living and working situation, and other key topics are placed in that file."

Finn glanced over at the file laying on his desk and opened it up for the second time today. He shuffled through the doctor's reports, the information about his apartment and work, the list of morning steps he needed to take to find his schedule, and the nightly routine list to make sure every notebook and sticky note was back in place.

"Why don't I have like a cheat sheet to my relationships in here too. It would be nice to know that my best friends were still together or that Sue Sylvester passed away a year ago," Finn said, shuffling the papers back to their original places.

"Who told you that Sue passed away?" Santana asked, slight hostility forming in her voice.

"Uh, that's actually what I was calling you about. I ran into Rachel Berry today…well technically yesterday, but I went back to see her today. She told me that we hadn't seen each other since Sue's funeral a year, which was definitely news to me."

"You've learned over and over again about Sue's funeral plenty of times, Finn. Like I said, you write something down and keep it in your daily update for a little while, but soon it fades away when you realize it's not as important as other things."

Finn furrowed his brow at Santana's words, beginning to feel annoyed.

"But why can't I just create a list of some of the key things? Like, Sue Sylvester passed away, the boss at your work is Walter and he's the nicest person in the world, so on," Finn said, figuring that a list like that would do him plenty of good.

"Because then you would keep adding to it and pretty soon you would have a long list of endless facts for you to take in all at once. It would take you an hour or more each morning to read through it, and to me that just seems like a waste of time," Santana voiced.

_She's right. All of those endless facts would be a lot more overwhelming than just a file about the accident and where I live._

"Look, Finn. I know this isn't easy. Puck and I have been with you every step of the way and we've seen it all. Sometimes you'll try to stay up for days in order to not forget your memories before you go to sleep. Sometimes you'll attempt to create long lists. None of it has worked for you so far, but I promise that we'll establish something eventually that will work. Just give it time."

Finn felt his throat tighten once again. "How much time, Santana? It has already been four years and I still don't have a solid system down."

Santana sighed and fell silent for a few moments.

_I shouldn't be throwing all of these problems on her and Puck. It's not fair for them to have to deal with my temper tantrums all the time. I don't even know how often I react this way to both of them. _

"Finn, I'm not trying to be rude. I've just had a very hard day and I can't answer these questions right now. We'll figure out something someday. I promise. Until then, you just need to be patient," Santana said, sounding worn down.

Finn nodded. "I'm sorry, San. I didn't mean to dump all of that on you or my breakdown on Puck this morning…I'm just lost."

"We know that, Finn. There's just only so much we can do though," Santana reminded him.

"Yeah. I know," he said, looking down at his feet.

"Is there anything else that you needed?" Santana asked.

Finn glanced over at his notebook, reading Rachel's name and phone number once again.

"No," he said finally. "That's it. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Alright, Finn. Enjoy the rest of your day," Santana said before they both hung up.

Finn placed his phone down on his desk again, staring down at it for a moment.

_Maybe I should have told her about Rachel so she could tell me about her in the morning._

He glanced back up at the blank page open on his computer.

_Or maybe I can write my own reminder. _

Finn brought his fingers to his keyboard, pausing for a moment as he tried to figure out what he wanted to say.

_Rachel Berry. She works at Music Go Round down the street from your apartment. You had a crush on her all throughout high school, and you still do. You saw her for the first time in a year on January 10__th__, 2014 when you went into her shop looking for some drums to play. You went back in January 11__th__, when you couldn't remember why you had been in the day before, but you had her name written down for some reason. She gave you her phone number (567-555-8076). Call her, ask her out on a date, and don't forget about it. _

After he finished the note, Finn sat back in his chair and read through it once. He sighed to himself and ran a hand through his hair. All of what he had typed up already looked long to him. Santana was right. If he kept adding to his section of information about Rachel then it may become too much to read and take in each morning. He needed to figure out a better system.

Finn turned back to his notebook and quickly wrote down another note under his unfinished reminder about Puck and Santana.

_Figure out a better way to remember Rachel. You need to remember everything._

When Finn was done, he decided to check his to do list for today once again, finding there was only one task left. He grabbed his phone from his desk again and scrolled through his contact list.

"Hello? Finn?" his mom's voice sounded slightly worried when she picked up the phone.

"Hey, mom. How are you?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.

"Oh," she sounded as if she were letting out a sigh of relief. "I'm good, Finn. How about you? How are you feeling today?"

"I'm doing good. It has been a little bit hard today, but I'm making it through."

"Good. That's good. I'm glad to hear you're okay," his mom said. She sounded as if she were attempting to reassure herself.

"Mom…I've probably asked this a million times…but you're okay, right? You're stable, safe, and everything?" Finn asked, hoping that his mom wasn't undergoing any serious issues.

"Of course I'm okay. I'm really not the one you should be worried about," she said before letting out a small laugh.

"I should be though. As far as I'm concerned my memories end when I was still living with you and were always there for you. Now I have no idea where you live, what's going on in your life, nothing. There are no notes set aside for my own mother," Finn said, feeling slightly defeated.

"Don't get upset, sweet boy. It's okay. I'm safe and well taken care of…" she said, trailing off.

Finn waited in silence for a moment, feeling as if there was something his mom wasn't telling him.

"Mom…" he started.

"I'll just say it before you ask. I'm remarried…you know the guy. It's Kurt Hummel's father, Burt Hummel. We now live in his house together and I am beyond happy with him," she said quickly.

Finn's eyes grew wide as he tried to take in all of the new information.

"Uh, wow. How long have you two been married?" he asked, unsure how to feel.

"Three years in March," she informed him, sounding as if she already knew what question he was going to ask.

"Wow…" Finn repeated, thinking more thoroughly about the situation.

_Kurt Hummel's dad? How on Earth did that even happen? Kurt and I never really talked. Well, besides in English in sophomore year because we were in the same group._

"That's…cool," Finn said.

"I really love him," his mom quickly stated, sounding like she were trying to reassure him again.

Finn nodded. "As long as he takes care of you, then I'm happy for you."

Finn's mother seemed to let out another relieved sigh. "Thank you, Finn. That means a lot to me."

Things were silent for a moment before Finn cleared his throat.

"Well, I should probably go. I just wanted to let you know that I'm okay. I'll call you tomorrow?" Finn said,

"I'll be waiting," she said cheerfully.

They both exchanged I love yous before Finn hung up the phone and threw down his phone again.

He leaned further back in his chair, placing his hands over his face.

_God, this is getting way out of hand. I can't even remember my own mom is freaking married. What kind of son am I? _

Finn groaned and then leaned forward again, removing his hands from his face. His head was beginning to hurt for what felt like the fifth time today, making him feel sore and exhausted.

He glanced down at the time on his computer and saw that it was only noon.

_What else am I supposed to do today? I have no plans and no idea what else is going on in this world._

Finn sighed and focused on the note he had typed up about Rachel again. He saved the document, noting that he would open it up again later when he needed to type up his schedule for the following day. After he saved the file, Finn wondered what other documents he had saved on his computer. He quickly opened up his finder and clicked Documents, finding a long list of folders stretching out before him.

_Holy crap._

Reading over all the titles of the folders, Finn realized these were little pieces of information that he had collected about his life. The folders were titled with people's names, stores, months, and various other things.

_This is what Santana was talking about. All of these folders contain information from my life, including the small details. If I tried to read all of this then I would be way over my head._

Finn continued to scroll, freezing when he found one specific folder.

_Quinn._

He hesitated for a moment, but then slowly moved his mouse to click on the folder. Sure enough the page changed and there were four separate documents sitting inside the folder. Finn clicked on one titled "What Happened to Quinn," and waited for it to open up.

When the page popped up, Finn was surprised to find that it didn't have much written on it. However, he began to read over the lines before him that a past Finn had written down.

_You and Quinn Fabray dated from the middle of your freshman year all the way until your senior year of high school. You two had plans to go to Ohio State together and continue your relationship, but then the accident happened. Afterward, the doctors said it would be better for Quinn to keep her distance since you were in the hospital for two weeks, stuck in a coma. When you woke up, Quinn never came to see you and everyone said that she went to Michigan to stay with her family for a little while. You two ended up breaking up due to the medical complications. You haven't heard from her since._

Finn's mouth had gone dry from everything that he has just read. He could easily remember that he and Quinn had dated, but he knew nothing of their breakup or how she walked out of his life.

_She never tried to contact me at all? How could she just leave me like that? Or maybe she didn't have much of a choice. _

Finn sighed and slammed his computer shut. Everything was becoming way too much for him today and the day wasn't even halfway over. He didn't feel safe knowing that any minute he could turn a corner and see a sticky note telling him that he was actually the father of twins.

Feeling extremely defeated, Finn stood up from his desk and made his way to his bed. He climbed under the covers and wrapped himself up, squeezing his eyes shut once he was situated.

He couldn't call Santana. He couldn't call anyone. But he also couldn't fall asleep, because if he fell asleep then he could just wake up and experience all this pain all over again.


	3. Chapter 3

Finn walked down the hallway, laughing at something that Puck had said.

"That's not even the best part!" Puck started again, going on about the rest of his story.

Puck's voice became background noise as Finn glanced down the hallway, noticing Rachel Berry standing at her locker. She was pulling out a notebook and binder decorated with either pink stripes or gold stars. Finn felt his heart begin to race as he stared at the small brunette. Rachel seemed so confident and at ease, even when a group of Cheerios walked behind her obviously laughing at her.

Closing her locker, Rachel turned in Finn's direction, instantly meeting his eyes. Finn held his breath as she stared at him expressionless. It was as if time was suddenly standing still.

Suddenly, Finn noticed Santana walk passed Rachel, knocking her stuff out of Rachel's hands so it crashed onto the ground. Without even thinking, Finn quickly moved to bend down to grab Rachel's binder as she grabbed her notebook. When they both stood up, Rachel looked at him like he was some kind of ghost.

Finn could feel multiple pairs of eyes on him, but the only pair that he cared about were Rachel's.

"Uh…here's your stuff," Finn said, handing Rachel her binder. She slowly took it from him and then pushed it against her chest, along with her notebook.

"I'm sorry about that," Finn said, nodding in the direction that Santana had walked. "She can be a little over the top sometimes."

Rachel slowly nodded, parting her lips like she no idea what to say.

Finn knew that he should continue walking with Puck and the other football guys down the hallway, but everything in him was wishing he could just stay there with Rachel.

"Well, thank you, _Finn_. That was very chivalrous of you," Rachel finally said, sounding at ease.

Finn couldn't help but let a goofy half crooked smile spread across his face as she said his name. He didn't even care about the fact that he had no idea what chivalrous meant.

"Anytime, _Rachel_," he said, allowing his smile to widen.

Rachel's eyes widened as she stared up at him, looking as if she were surprised that he knew her name.

Finn opened his mouth to say something, but was immediately interrupted when Puck tugged on his shoulder.

"Come on, dude. Quinn's waiting in the cafeteria," Puck said, glancing at Rachel quickly and then back at Finn.

Finn nodded, but kept his eyes on Rachel.

"Alright," he said before shooting Rachel one last smile.

Rachel instantly reciprocated the smile, causing a tingling sensation to grow inside of Finn's stomach. Without another word, Rachel turned away from Finn and made her way down the hallway.

Finn turned back to Puck, continuing in the opposite Rachel had gone. His face felt slightly warm, but there was so much adrenaline running through him that he couldn't help but smile.

"What the hell was that about, man? I can't believe you helped out Berry back there," Puck said, shaking his head.

Finn glanced behind him, finding Rachel walking through the halls alone as she dodged other students. For a moment he didn't care what Puck or anyone else thought. He only cared that he got to talk to her and see that smile that he swore could light up a room.

"I don't know," Finn said bringing his attention back to Puck. "I guess I was just being chivalrous."

Finn slowly opened his eyes as a strange chiming filled his ears. He groaned as he rolled over and turned off the alarm clock sitting on his nightstand. Sitting up in his bed, Finn let out a large yawn as he began to look at his surroundings.

_Okay…this is my furniture, but this is definitely not my room. Am I still dreaming?_

Glancing over at his nightstand, Finn found a sticky note advising him to call Santana. He shrugged to himself and stood from his bed so he could find his phone.

_Am I being Punk'd or something? I would rather not have Ashton Kutcher slide out from under my bed._

Finn stopped for a moment and got on his hands and knees in order to look under his bed. However, after a minute he quickly stood back up and shook his head.

_Nope. We're good._

Finally, he found his phone on his desk and dialed Santana's number. Yawning as he waited for her to pick up.

"Hey, Finn," Santana said, sounding a little busy.

"Hey, Santana. I found this sticky note on my nightstand saying to call you. Well, I think it's my nightstand…unless I'm in someone else's place who has my same furniture," Finn said, sounding confused yet calm.

"The file on your laptop. Read it," Santana said. Finn could hear some rustling on her end of the phone, which made him wonder what she was doing.

However, he decided not to ask and instead turned to the file on his laptop, furrowing his name at the words written across it. He shrugged to himself before opening it up, taking his time as he read through each page.

"Well…that explains a lot," Finn said after he was done.

"You okay, buddy?" Santana asked, seeming slightly concerned.

"Yeah, I'm good. I think I got this under control. I mean, I work with Puck and everything so that's pretty cool," Finn said with a slight chuckle.

"Wait…you remember that you work with Puck? Oh my God, Finn. That's amazing!" Santana said, sounding more interested in their conversation.

Finn raised a brow, confused why she suddenly sounded so excited. "Uh, no? It was written in my file thing."

"Oh…" Santana trailed off. She sounded disappointed, which only made Finn more confused. "You must have recently written that in or something because that wasn't there before."

Finn nodded. "Yeah, that part was handwritten while everything else was typed."

"Right. Well, I'm about to head out, Finn. I think you're going to be fine today, but we're here if you need us, okay?"

"Okay," Finn said, but before he could say anything else, Santana already hung up the phone.

Finn pulled the phone away from his ear and laughed to himself.

_Same old, Santana….but four years older. Man, that's weird._

Turning back to his laptop, Finn pulled it open to find his to do list, just as the file said he would.

"Here we go," Finn braced himself as he began to read the list.

_1/12/2014:_

_-You don't have work today. Enjoy your day off._

_-Call Mom (by the way, she's married to Burt Hummel. Aka Kurt Hummel's dad)_

_-Pick up your suit from the dry cleaners down the street. _

_-Sue Sylvester passed away two years ago in October of 2012._

-_Rachel Berry. She works at Music Go Round down the street from your apartment. You had a crush on her all throughout high school, and you still do. You saw her for the first time in a year on January 10__th__, 2014 when you went into her shop looking for some drums to play. You went back in January 11__th__, when you couldn't remember why you had been in the day before, but you had her name written down for some reason. She gave you her phone number (567-555-8076). Call her, ask her out on a date, and don't forget about it. _

"Wait…What?" Finn laughed in disbelief as he read over his note about Rachel Berry.

_Seriously? Rachel Berry? She gave me her phone number?_

Finn sat there, smiling to himself as he stared at Rachel's number glowing on his computer screen.

_But wait, Sue Sylvester passed away?_

Once Finn was done trying to sort out all of his thoughts about his to do list/notes for the day, he took a quick shower and got dressed. When he walked out to his kitchen he checked his clock on the wall.

_10:30 AM_

_Is it took early to call Rachel? Would that seem too eager of me? _

Finn contemplated pulling out his phone and calling Rachel then and there, but he decided against it. He figured calling sometime this evening would probably be better. He didn't want to make himself seem like a psychopath or anything.

Instead, Finn decided to call his mom as he left his apartment, grabbing his keys, wallet, and notebook on his way out.

"Hello, Finn," his mom said hesitantly as she answered the phone.

"Mom! How's it going?" Finn said, noting how overly happy his own voice sounded. It was so good to hear her voice.

"It's going great," his mom said before laughing. She seemed surprised to hear Finn was in such a good mood. "How are you doing?"

"I'm great, just great. Are you busy with Burt or anything? I don't want to interrupt anything," Finn said as he reached the street and headed in the direction his dry cleaners was located.

"You're not interrupting anything, Finn! You never are! I assume that you wrote about Burt in your notes for today?" his mom asked. Finn couldn't help but notice there was a slight sound of hope in her voice. It was like she was hoping that he would say that he had actually remembered on his own.

"Yeah, I did," Finn said, feeling his mother's disappointment for her. "It was on my list of notes along with a lot of other surprising things. Did you know Sue Sylvester died? Wait…scratch that. You probably did."

Finn entered the dry cleaners and got in line behind the two other people in front of him.

"I did know that, honey. It was a very sad time for everyone…no matter how mean she was to a lot people while she was alive," his mom said.

Finn nodded. "She was still a pretty cool lady though. Anyway, I should probably go. I'm at the dry cleaners picking up a suit. I'll call you later or something. I love you."

"I love you too, Finn. I'll be waiting."

Smiling to himself, Finn hung up the phone and slid it in his pocket. He waited patiently as both the men in front of him finished up either picking up or dropping off their orders, giving the woman behind the counter a large smile once it was his turn.

"Hello, sir. What's your name?" the woman asked, returning his smile.

"Finn Hudson. I'm picking up a suit," Finn said.

The woman typed something into her computer and then nodded. "Looks like it's all ready. Let me just grab it for you."

She then moved away from the counter and moved to one of their racks, looking through the cleaned clothes. Finn looked around the small shop, noting how the walls were slightly discolored.

"Darn," the woman said suddenly, bringing Finn's attention back to her.

"I think some of our tags came off the clothes. Can you tell me what the suit looked like?" she asked, looking over at Finn.

Finn felt his eyes widen as the woman asked him to describe his suit. He had no idea what it looked like at all. If it weren't for the note he wouldn't even have remembered to pick up the suit in the first place.

The woman continued to stare at him, waiting for him to give her some sort of answer.

"I actually…don't know," Finn said, making an apologetic face at her.

"Oh…okay. That's fine. I'll just see if I can figure it out," she said as moved back to the counter, looking at her computer. "Sometimes we put small descriptions of the clothing on file just in case things like this happen."

_She's being awfully nice. Especially considering I sound like an idiot for not remembering what my own suit looks like. _

"Ah, here it is. It's a gray suit with a black lapel. I think I saw that one back there," the woman said before going back to the rack.

Sure enough, she came back with a suit that Finn didn't even know that he owned. Finn thanked her and took the suit from her, leaving the store feeling embarrassed.

_Well, that was a slight disaster. Thank God for that description or I would have never gotten my suit back._

Finn held his dry cleaned suit over his shoulder as he walked back toward his place. He felt his stomach begin to rumble as he walked. He had been so focused on getting started on his to do list that he had completely forgotten to eat breakfast.

He stopped on the sidewalk and looked around a little, catching sight of a small café across the street from him. He shrugged his shoulders and looked both ways before crossing the street.

Walking into the café, Finn couldn't help but smile at the delicious smells that filled his nose. There was a sign at the front telling him to seat himself and he decided to sit down at a table next to the window, placing his suit over an empty chair.

A girl who looked around his age bounced up to his table and gave him a wide smile. "Haven't seen you in awhile! It's nice to see you at your usual table," she said cheerfully.

_My usual table? I manage to sit at the same table every time?_

Finn smiled back at her and nodded. "Of course."

"So do you want your usual?" the girl asked, holding her pen to her notepad.

"My usual?" Finn asked, raising a brow.

_How does a guy with no short-term memory possibly have a usual?_

"You order the same thing every time you come. I just assumed that was your usual by name," the girl reasoned, giving him a small shrug.

"Well…" Finn trailed off, opening his menu quickly. He looked over his choices and found something that definitely sounded appealing to him. "Does my usual consist of a chicken sandwich and a black coffee?"

The girl's smile grew wider and she gave Finn a big nod, catching him completely off guard.

"Yep, that's it! I'll get that started for you!" the girl said before skipping away from his table.

Finn laughed to himself, completely astonished that he managed to order the same thing every time he came here without even remembering.

As he waited for his food, Finn pulled out his phone and looked over the rest of his to do list for the day. All he had left to do was to call Rachel and ask her out on a date. The note made it very clear that asking Rachel out on a date wasn't even an option. He had to do it no matter what.

When his food finally came, Finn took his time eating, enjoying both his sandwich and coffee. After finishing off his meal, Finn opened a new page in his notebook and quickly started a new section of notes for the day.

_1/12/2014:_

_-Go back to Rudy's Café. They have excellent chicken sandwiches and coffee._

Finn paid for his food and then left the café, waving to his waitress as he walked out the door. He put his dry cleaning over his shoulder again as he looked both ways before crossing the street. He continued his walk home, smiling to himself.

Is everyday this good? I feel like I'm on top of the world right now.

As Finn continued down the street he suddenly saw a familiar name written on one of the buildings.

_Music Go Round. Why does that sound familiar?_

Finn repeated the name in his head a few times before it finally hit him. Rachel worked at Music Go Round. This is where he had seen her the past two days.

He couldn't help but smile to himself as he looked through the window and saw all the instruments within the store.

Before he could stop himself he was reaching for the door of the shop and letting himself inside.

"Wow, this place is nice," Finn said to himself as the door closed behind him. He hadn't realized that he was the only person in the store when suddenly Rachel popped out of another door right in front of him.

Her eyes grew wide upon seeing him, but then a happy smile spread across her face.

"Hey, Finn. It's good to see you again," she said, taking a few steps towards him.

"Yeah, it's great seeing you…again," Finn said, a smile taking over his own face.

"Did you need some more information or something?" Rachel asked as she walked passed him and slid behind the counter.

Finn followed after her, staying on the opposite side of the counter. "No, I was actually here about something else."

Rachel nodded. "Okay…did you want to play the drums or something?" she asked, gesturing to the back of the store.

Finn glanced behind him, but then brought his attention back to Rachel.

He shook his head. "No…I'm just here because of you."

Rachel froze and stared at Finn, looking as if she were holding her breath.

"Oh, about what exactly?" she asked, squaring her shoulders.

Finn stared into Rachel's eyes for a moment, getting distracted.

_Man, she's beautiful. She hasn't changed at all, except her animal sweaters were replaced with somewhat more normal clothes. I kind of miss the animal sweaters. _

"Finn?" Rachel said, shaking Finn out of his thoughts.

"Sorry," he said, quickly trying to gather what he was going to say. " What I came to see you about…well I wanted to actually ask you if you wanted to go out?" he asked, pausing to attempt to read Rachel's expression.

"On a date…with me?" he continued.

Rachel only stared at him as he finished, which made Finn feel slightly nervous.

"I'm sorry. I know I should have called you. I mean, that is why you gave me your number, at least I hope so. I was just in the neighborhood and thought I would just ask you in person," Finn explained, looking down at his feet.

"I would love to go on a date with you," Rachel said finally, causing Finn to look up at her.

"Yeah?" Finn asked, feeling greatly relieved.

Rachel gave him a wide smile and nodded. "And for the record, I'm really glad that you asked me in person."

Finn let out a small laugh, thankful that he wasn't making a complete idiot out of himself.

"Well," Finn said as he pulled his notebook from his pocket. "When are you free? I don't really know my schedule right now…but that's okay. Any time that works for you will work for me."

Finn wasn't sure that was necessarily true, but he still didn't want mess up his chance to go on a date with Rachel.

"I'm free Tuesday at seven," she said, widening her smile.

Finn nodded. "Perfect. That works for me."

He opened to the same page he had written on early that day and quickly wrote down his small reminder.

_Dinner with Rachel Berry on Tuesday, January 14__th__ at 7 PM. _

Finn read his note back to himself and then looked back up at Rachel.

"Um…did you want me to pick you up or just meet up for the date? I'm sorry I have to ask that, but it's just kind of important for my uh…" he said, gesturing down at his notebook.

Rachel nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "How about we meet someplace. Do you have anywhere in mind?"

Finn looked back down at his notes, realizing that he had no idea what sort of restaurants still resided in Lima nor where they were. However, he read over the note written just above the one about his date with Rachel.

"How about Rudy's Café?" Finn asked, looking back up at her. "They have great food."

_Says the guy who can only remember the chicken sandwich that he ate there today._

Rachel let out a small laugh. "That sounds perfect."

Finn gave her his typical half crooked smile before adding to his notes.

_Meet at Rudy's Café._

"Great," he said, closing up his notebook and putting in his pocket. "I guess I'll see you on Tuesday."

"I look forward to it," Rachel said with a nod.

The two stared at each other for a moment, and Finn was suddenly reminded about the dream he had just before he woke up. Was it a coincidence that the dream had included Rachel?

Suddenly, Finn heard a chime come from the door, signaling that another customer had just walked inside.

"I'll let you get on with your job then. See you later," Finn said, flashing her one last smile.

"See ya," Rachel said, waving at him.

Once Finn reached the street again, he couldn't help but let a large, goofy smile spread across her face.

_You have a date with Rachel Berry at Rudy's Café on Tuesday, January 14__th__ at 7 PM. Don't mess it up. _


	4. Chapter 4

"So this is actually happening? You really have a date with Rachel Berry?" Santana asked, raising a brow at Finn. She was seated on his bed, reading over the notes that Finn had written down about Rachel and their date.

Finn shrugged as he straightened out his sweater a little. "I guess so. The notes say that I asked her out on Sunday and we scheduled the date for tonight at seven at some place called Rudy's Cafe."

Santana set down Finn's notes, eyeing him for a moment. "What's your angle here, Finn? I can't figure out if you really want to go out with Berry of if she just took advantage of your situation."

Her comment instantly made Finn laugh as he began to put on his shoes. "What are you talking about? Why would she take advantage of me?"

"I don't know. Maybe she used her creepy Jewish powers and made you somehow think she's hot," Santana voiced as she stood from his bed and folded her arms.

Finn shook his head and laughed again.

"Oh my God..." Santana started. "She didn't need to brainwash you into thinking she's hot. You think she's hot on your own. Ew, Finn."

Finn finished putting on his shoes and shot Santana an annoyed look.

"What? Why is that so bad?" he asked defensively.

"Have you completely forgotten who she was back in high school? A freak, Finn! Grade A control freak with awful animal sweaters and a huge schnoz."

"Enough, Santana!" Finn said loudly, cutting her off.

"We're not in high school anymore. I don't even remember the last four years being out of high school and yet I can still be civil about this," Finn argued, slipping on his jacket.

Santana scoffed. "Oh, I get it. This is all your way of growing up and finally having someone. I get it, but why does it have to be Rachel?"

"Because I like her," Finn said, taking Santana by surprise. "I've always liked her."

Santana raised a brow and looked taken back. "_Always_ liked her?"

Finn swallowed hard before nodding. "Since our freshman year of high school until my accident...well I guess even after my accident." He shrugged, patting his pockets to make sure that he had everything.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You were dating Quinn that whole entire time. That's cheating, Finn," Santana said, shaking her head at him.

Finn's eyes grew wide at Santana's words as he looked up at her. "Quinn...What happened to Quinn? Where is she?" he asked quickly.

Santana scowled at him. "Somewhere in Michigan who knows. You're not focusing on the situation at hand here."

_Michigan? Why the hell would she be in Michigan? Better yet, why don't I have a special place in my file specifically reserved for her? _

Finn sighed as he pulled out his notebook and opened to a clean page.

"Look, I didn't cheat on Quinn. Rachel and I never did anything at all," Finn said as he began to write.

_1/14/2014:_

_-Figure out what's in Michigan._

"You didn't physically cheat on Quinn, but you obviously mentally cheated on her," Santana argued.

Finn put his notebook and pen away, turning his attention back to Santana. "I don't know why you're so upset about this. You cheated on Puck multiple times."

Santana waved a hand in the air as if she were brushing away Finn's comment. "That's irrelevant...I just don't know why you didn't break up with Quinn if you wanted Berry all those years."

"Because if I went after Rachel then you, Puck, and probably everyone else would have just been at my throat all the time," Finn stated.

"That's not true," Santana said, rolling her eyes.

"It's not? Is that why you're making such a big deal about the fact that I have date with Rachel in twenty minutes?" Finn asked, raising a brow at her.

Santana narrowed her eyes on Finn, obviously displeased with his comment.

"You know what, Finn? Go out with whoever you want to go out with. I don't care and neither does Puck. You're free to do whatever you want to do," she said as she picked up her coat and slid it back on.

"Are we seriously fighting about this?" Finn asked as Santana began to button up her coat.

Santana shook her head. "No, we're not fighting. I'll cool down and tomorrow you won't remember this conversation even happened anyway."

Finn's breath caught in his throat at Santana's last statement. It felt like he had been slapped in the face. Santana's features slowly became softer as she stared at Finn.

"I'm sorry, Hudson. I didn't mean that...that was a real low blow of me."

"Uh no..." Finn said, shaking his head as he looked at the ground. "It's fine. I get it."

Santana took a few steps towards him, causing Finn to look back up at her.

"No. I really am sorry. You know how I get worked up and just become a raging bitch sometimes. Even after four years that hasn't changed."

Finn couldn't help but smile at her comment. "Yeah, I know."

They both exchanged a weak smile before Santana gave Finn a pat on the back.

"Alright. I'm going to head out. Have a good time with Berry, but not too much fun," Santana said, winking at him.

"See ya," Finn said as Santana made her way out of the apartment.

After checking his hair in the mirror and brushing his teeth one last time, Finn decided that he was ready to go. He left his apartment and made his way down to the street, relying on the address her wrote down on a piece of paper to direct him to Rudy's Cafe.

_Does that say 11th or 17th Avenue? The second one looks all weird...or seven? _

Finn looked to his left and then to his right, unsure of which way to go. Finally, he decided to trust his intuition and turn to his right, heading down the street. He walked slowly, checking the name of each store he passed, but nothing looked even remotely close to a cafe.

_Just keep walking. It's probably just a little ways down._

Continuing down the street, Finn felt his heart begin to race as he still couldn't find the cafe. He kept trying to reassure himself that he would stumble upon it any minute. However, Finn stopped in his tracks when he realized he had reached the end of the street and there were no more shops in front of him.

_Damnit. That's the last time I trust my intuition._

Quickly turning around, Finn checked his watch as he began to fast walk in the direction that he had come.

_7:01 PM_

_Great, just great. My first date with Rachel and I'm going to be late._

Finn began to jog down the street, once again looking at each store name that he passed by. Finally, he saw a restaurant a little ways down the street and hoped that that was Rudy's. Once again, he glanced down at his watch to check the time.

_7:08 PM_

Shaking his head to himself, Finn crossed the street to the restaurant and quickly made his way inside. As he walked through the door he found Rachel sitting alone at a table by the windows, staring down at her menu. Finn took quick steps to get to her table and sat down, breathing slightly heavy due to his jogging.

Rachel's head snapped up to look at him, looking slightly concerned.

"Sorry," Finn said, out of breath. "I got a little lost on my way here."

"It's fine. Are you alright?" Rachel asked, her voice coated with worry.

Finn nodded. "Yeah. I'm perfectly fine. Don't even worry."

Rachel continued to stare at him, looking as if she didn't know whether to believe him or not.

_What a way to start a date. Don't be surprised if she says no to round two._

"So, did you figure out what you wanted?" Finn asked, picking up his own menu.

"No, I'm actually having a hard time picking between a few different options. Everything sounds really good," Rachel said, looking down at her own menu again.

_At least you picked a good restaurant. Considering you can't even remember eating here before._

"Apparently they have really good coffee, but it might be a little too late for that," Finn commented, remembering a note about the black coffee and chicken sandwiches he had read earlier.

"Have you never been here before?" Rachel asked, making Finn panic for a second.

"Well, I have. I mean, I guess I have…but I don't remember," he trailed off, scratching the back of his head.

"That was a really stupid question," Rachel said as she shook her head. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be insensitive."

Finn let out a small laugh. "Rachel, you don't have to be sorry. I'm not offended or anything."

Rachel shrugged, still looking embarrassed. "I just want you to know that I think you're more than your condition…" she trailed off.

Her words took Finn by surprise. It meant a lot to him that she didn't define him by his memory loss because he assumed that a lot of people did.

"Thank you," Finn said, a smile spreading across his lips. "That means a lot."

Rachel returned his smile and then let out a small sigh. "Okay. Should we figure out what we want to eat?"

Finn nodded, looking down at his menu again. He saw the chicken sandwich and immediately decided that's what he wanted.

Suddenly, a girl came up to her table, wearing a large smile.

"Hey! I'm surprised to see you back in so soon. I see you're at your usual table and everything," the girl said.

Finn felt a little dumbfounded as he stared at her for a moment.

_I must have been here a few days ago or something…but how the hell do I have a usual table?_

Finn decided to just go along with her and gave her a quick nod.

"Just like always," he said, smiling at her.

"So what will you and this beautiful lady have?" the girl asked, holding her pen to her notepad.

"Ladies first," Finn said, gesturing towards Rachel.

Rachel smiled at him and then looked over at their waitress. "I'll have the Greek salad with a cup of coffee." She closed her menu and then looked back at Finn. "It's never too late for coffee."

Finn felt a goofy smile work its way onto his face, realizing that their waitress was waiting for him to order.

"Oh, I'll have the chicken sandwich and a…" Finn started.

"Black coffee?" the waitress asked, writing quickly on her notepad.

"Yeah?" Finn said, surprise filling his voice.

"Coming right up!" she said, taking their menus from them before walking quickly towards the kitchen.

Finn stared after her for a second, completely lost.

_How often do I come into this café? I wonder if our waitress has ever told me her name and now I look like a jackass for not remembering it. _

"So," Rachel said, bringing Finn's attention back to her. "Tell me about yourself?"

Rachel smiled up at him, resting her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand.

_Tell her about myself…okay…okay. What can I tell her? I don't even know what there is to tell. Small things. Stick to the small things._

"I live just a little ways down the street in the Arlington apartments," Finn began.

_Arlington. That's what it's called, right?_

Finn cleared his throat before continuing. "I work at Lima Bikes with Puckerman. I hope that you remember him…he's not really hard to forget."

Rachel giggled at his comment and Finn couldn't help but smile at her.

"Puck and Santana Lopez are still my best friends, and apparently I lean on them for a lot," he finished, shrugging his shoulders.

"Wow. Santana Lopez…I haven't seen her in a long time," Rachel said, leaning back in her chair.

Finn chuckled. "I'm not sure that you really want to. She kind of made your life a living hell back in high school."

Rachel nodded. "That's true, but then again a lot of people did."

Finn let his smile fall a little, suddenly feeling guilty about all the things that his friends did to her.

"I'm sorry about all that," Finn said. "I'm sorry about all the slushie facials they gave you or the way they booed at your performance in the junior musical." He wanted to keep going. He wanted to apologize for every single thing that his friends had done, but it felt like there was just too much.

"Finn, stop. You don't have to apologize. That was four years ago. It's basically ancient history now. It means nothing to me and I'm perfectly fine."

Finn felt his shoulders tense.

"I know it was technically years ago…but it still feels like yesterday for me," he stated, which seemed to catch Rachel off guard.

Finally, she nodded at him, understanding his situation.

"Like I said, it's okay, Finn. I'm a much stronger person now and I have them to thank for that," she said, sounding so sure of herself.

A small smile tugged on Finn's lips.

_She's absolutely amazing. It's like she's different, yet still the same._

"Tell me about yourself then," Finn said. "What great adventures have occurred in your life since senior year?"

Rachel thought for a moment. "Well, nothing too exciting. I've been going to the Lima Community College for a few years now and I've been working with their musical theatre program. All of the people there are really great and friendly, which is a nice change from McKinley."

Finn nodded, smiling at her words.

"And I also work at Music Go Round, but you know that."

"How long have you worked there?" Finn asked.

"Two years now. I worked at Breadstix for a little while, but it turns out I'm not that great of a waitress," she said, laughing.

"I forgot about Breadstix! That was the best place to go when we were in high school," Finn commented, remembering going to the restaurant various times with family or friends.

"It really was. I think it's still a big deal to high school kids even now," Rachel said.

"So what else about you? I want to know more," Finn said, leaning back in his chair.

"I don't know how much more there is to tell," Rachel claimed shyly.

_She always had so much going on during high school. Wasn't she always going around talking about New York or something?_

"New York," Finn said with a nod. "Weren't you supposed to go to New York?"

Rachel's face fell slightly. "Oh…yeah, I was. But that kind of fell through," she said, looking embarrassed.

Finn could tell based on her body language that it wasn't really something she wanted to talk about.

_I just keep digging myself into a deeper hole. This is probably her worst first date ever._

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be pry or anything. I know plenty about things falling through," he said with a nervous laugh,

"I guess we have a lot in common," Rachel said, instantly lightening the mood.

Finn smiled weakly at her. "Yeah, I guess we do."

Suddenly, their waitress bounced back to the table and set down their food and coffee in front of them

"There you go. Is there anything else I can get you?" she said, looking at both of them expectantly.

"No, I think we're good," Finn said.

The waitress smiled at both of them before walking away, leaving them alone once again.

"This looks amazing. Good job, Finn," Rachel said, making Finn's heart skip a beat.

_At least I managed to do one thing right tonight._

Finn nodded. "It does, doesn't it?"

Silence spread over them as Rachel leaned over to grab a packet of sugar. She opened it and poured it into her coffee, stirring it around a little.

_Alright, Finn. You can still safe this. Just focus and stop being such an idiot._

"So…did you know that Sue Sylvester passed away?" Finn asked, unrolling his silverware.

Rachel let out a small laugh. "You don't say?"

While they ate their dinner the conversation was easy between them. Finn allowed himself to relax and found that being with Rachel seemed so natural to him. He learned that she had been a vegan for the last seven years of her life and she still lived near McKinley. He also found out that she was going to be in a community theatre production of West Side Story as Maria.

The more he found out about Rachel the more he liked her. However, he felt kind of guilty because he knew he wouldn't remember any of these things tomorrow.

When they were both finished with dinner, Finn paid for their food and they walked out of the restaurant. Since Rachel's car was down the street a ways, they decided to walk together and continue their conversation.

"I remember when you used to wear those animal sweaters back in high school. I swear you had a sweater with every animal in every color," Finn said, slightly teasing her.

"Oh, yikes. I threw out all of those sweaters years ago. I can't believe how long it took me to figure out how hideous they were," Rachel said wrinkling her nose.

Finn laughed at her disgusted expression. "I don't know. I kind of liked them."

"I didn't even know that you noticed them," Rachel said, smiling up at him,

He shrugged and returned her smile. "I did. I will remind you that we did talk a couple of times."

"Yeah, but I didn't think that actually meant you cared to notice what I was wearing. I figured you and your friends couldn't care less about someone like me," Rachel claimed.

She didn't sound sad, but almost amused. Everything that happened back then probably no longer bothered her because she had escaped from it long ago. But for Finn, it felt like everything had just happened yesterday. He couldn't help but let her words sting a little as he thought about how little respect she had received.

"I'm sorry, Finn," Rachel said, noticing Finn's distraught expression. "I shouldn't have said that."

"No, you're fine. It shouldn't even matter anymore…It's just to me, I'm still that eighteen year old boy who let's his friends walk all over good people," Finn said, looking straight ahead.

"But you're not your friends, Finn. They may have all been harsh and cruel, but you weren't. You helped kids out of dumpsters and even helped me when you found me crying that one time. I know you remember that," Rachel said, attempting to reassure him.

"Yeah," Finn nodded. "I do."

"See. You're nothing like them. You're a good person. A great person as far as I'm concerned," Rachel said, suddenly bumping her side into his.

A smile took over his lips and Finn looked down at Rachel to find her wearing the same expression.

"You're really awesome. You know that, right?" he asked.

Rachel happily nodded. "Yes I do," she replied, making Finn laugh.

The two continued to walk when they stumbled across a small, black Prius sitting alone on the side of the street.

"Well," Rachel said, taking out her keys. "This is me."

"Right," Finn said, rocking slightly back on his kneels.

"I had a really great time tonight, Finn."

Finn felt a wave of relief hit him, thankful that she wasn't running for the hills.

"I did too. I was actually hoping that you would want to go out again," Finn stated, feeling adrenaline begin to rush through him.

Rachel's smile spread across her whole face as she nodded. "I would love that!"

"Great," Finn said, feeling his smile grow to match hers.

Silence stretched out between them as they stared at one another for a moment.

_Man, I really want to kiss her. What if she's one of those girls who doesn't kiss on the first date though? She looks like she wants me kiss her…_

"Well, goodnight," Rachel said, still looking up at him expectantly.

"Goodnight, Rachel," Finn said.

Rachel began to turn away from him, sending off alarms in Finn's head.

_Take a chance._

Suddenly, Finn gently grabbed Rachel's hand, turning her to face him again. Wasting no time he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. His heart began to race as he continued kissing her, praying that Rachel wouldn't slap him.

However, much to Finn's relief, Rachel relaxed in their kissing and pressed her lips back into his. Her reaction only made Finn's heart race more, causing him to wonder if Rachel was having a similar reaction.

Finally, Finn pulled away from their kiss, feeling slightly breathless.

_Whoa._

As they broke apart, Finn and Rachel stared at each other for a moment, both looking as if they wanted to kiss the other again.

Rachel cleared her throat. "I really want you to call me, okay?" She then gave him a weak smile as she slid her hand out of his and walked to the driver's side of her car.

Finn smiled, still feeling slightly paralyzed. "I will! I will call!" he said as Rachel slid into her car. He stood there as she pulled away from curb, leaving him by himself.

"I will call. I won't forget," he said to himself before turning back in the direction of his place.

When Finn returned home he called his mom and told her all about the date. She seemed excited for him, but there was still a slight hint of worry in her voice. However, Finn chose not to acknowledge her concern. He was too hyped up from his night with Rachel, still completely surprised at what had just happened.

After putting all of his notes, files, and other items in their place for the next morning, Finn climbed into bed. He allowed his shoulders to relax as the excitement and nerves from the evening settled down. His eyes became heavy as he laid in bed, but he was fighting to stay awake.

_I don't want to sleep. I don't want to forget this. I want to hold onto this._

However, after only a few seconds, Finn's eyes fell shut and he drifted off to sleep.

Finn walked quickly down the hallway, checking the clock on the wall as he hurried along.

_I'm going to be late for football practice and Coach Beiste is going to have my head for this. I can't let her give Sam Evans the quarterback position for the first game of the season._

As Finn continued to walk he suddenly began to heard sniffling, making him slow down a little. Furrowing his brow he looked down the hallway to find someone sitting on the ceramic floor with their knees pulled up to their chest. As they continued to sniffle, Finn realized that the person was crying.

Finn attempted to take quieter steps as he got closer to the person, trying not to startle them. When he was finally close enough, Finn came to a stop in front of the student. He could tell it was a girl by her long brown hair, but he couldn't see her face because it was buried in her knees.

"Um, excuse me. Are you okay?" Finn asked.

The girl's head snapped up and suddenly Finn found himself staring down at a tear faced Rachel Berry. His heart skipped a beat as he looked at the beautiful girl.

"I'm fine," Rachel said with a shaky voice as she wiped under her eyes.

"With all do respect, you don't exactly look fine," Finn pointed out.

Rachel looked down at her knees again, seeming ashamed by her current unstable state.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Finn asked, causing Rachel to look back up at him again.

She remained silent as Finn stood in front of her, which he found odd. Normally Rachel was always talking in class or to whoever would listen. Not that that was a bad thing. She usually had something interesting to say anyway.

When Rachel still didn't answer Finn he sat down next to her and leaned his back against the lockers. They were close enough where if he moved his knee slightly he could touch her, but he decided to keep his distance.

Rachel looked over at him, looking like she couldn't believe he was actually sitting next to her.

"Come on," Finn said. "Out with it."

Rachel sighed and shook her head at him. "It really is nothing. I was just getting my books from my locker before I went home, but…" she trailed off, her voice getting shaky again.

"But what?" Finn asked, concerned why she was so upset.

"Someone filled my locker with shaving cream and completely ruined everything," Rachel said, a few new tears now running down her face.

Finn furrowed his brow and looked further down the hallway where he remembered Rachel's locker being. Sure enough, the locker door was open with a large amount of shaving cream oozing out of it.

"Santana," Finn said under his breath.

Rachel nodded. "And Quinn."

"Quinn?" Finn asked, raising a brow at her.

She shrugged. "I saw them standing in front of my locker earlier while I was in science class since my locker is right outside my classroom. I knew they were up to something…but I didn't think it was this mean," Rachel said, shaking her head.

Even Finn was surprised by what his best friend and girlfriend had done to Rachel. He knew they could be cruel, but this was definitely crossing a line.

"I'm sorry," Finn finally said. "That really wasn't cool of them."

"Yeah. Not _cool_ at all," Rachel said, leaning her head back against the lockers.

"I'll help you clean it up," Finn offered.

Rachel looked over at him, looking surprised. "You would do that?"

"Of course. Come on," Finn said, standing up from his seat on the ground. He held out his hand to her and waited patiently for her to take it.

Rachel hesitated for a moment, but then took his hand, allowing him to pull her up. As their hands touched, Finn felt an electric current run through him. He couldn't help but wonder if Rachel had felt it too.

Letting go of her hand, Finn and Rachel got a trashcan and some paper towels, beginning to clean off her books and then the walls of her locker. They didn't say much as they cleaned together, but Finn didn't mind. It was strangely comfortable for him to be with her just like this. It felt natural.

"Hudson!" Finn heard from behind him suddenly, causing the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"Oh no," Finn said, turning around to see Coach Beiste coming towards him.

"Where the hell have you been? Did you forget we have football practice today?" she asked, glaring at him.

"No, Coach! I was on my way when I found Rachel here. Some of the Cheerios put shaving cream in her locker," Finn explained.

Rachel nodded to Beiste, proving Finn was innocent.

Beiste looked down at Rachel and then at her locker before meeting Finn's eyes again.

"Well that was very nice of you, Finn. But I'm sure Rachel understands that as the quarterback of our football team that you need to get your butt to practice," Beiste said, still sounding impatient.

"Of course," Rachel said. "Thank you, Finn. I can take it from here." She took the paper towels and turned back to her locker, continuing to clean off her things.

"Come on, Hudson. Move," Beiste ordered, starting off down the hallway.

Finn did as she said and walked after her. He glanced behind himself at one moment, meeting Rachel's eyes as she watched him leave. She flashed him a thankful smile and then turned back to her locker, clearing out more shaving cream.


	5. Chapter 5

"I really went on a date with Rachel Berry last night?" Finn asked Santana, reading over what he had apparently typed up the day before. This was the second time he had called Santana this morning, but she seemed to be more patient with him than he expected.

_You went on a date with Rachel Berry last night. You had a great time and apparently she did too. In fact, she wants you to call her again. You shared a kiss at the end of the night, and trust me, it was even better than you've imagined._

"You did. I was at your place before you met up with her," Santana informed him.

_Whoa. This is actually happening. _

"Finn, I think you deserve to know that you and I had a little bit of a disagreement last night. But I'm glad that you are getting back out there...out there at all since there hasn't been anyone in your life since before the accident," Santana said, catching Finn off guard.

"Well, thanks. Your support means a lot to me," Finn said, wishing that he could remember their conversation from yesterday. He hated feeling like he was in the dark.

"Even though you have liked the girl since freshman year, when you were dating Quinn," Santana said casually.

Finn furrowed his brow, realizing that nothing in his file included any information about Quinn.

"Santana, what happened to Quinn? There are no notes anywhere that I can find about her." Finn looked around at all the sticky notes on his walls and furniture, noticing that none of them had Quinn's name on them either.

Santana sighed. "Quinn Fabray is a lousy person, Finn. She's not someone you should be focusing on. But for the sake of your curiosity I'll tell you that she broke up with you and left to Michigan while you were in the hospital. She has family that live there and she apparently needed to get away." Her tone had a strong bitterness to it and Finn couldn't help but feel like there was more to the story.

"Did we talk before she left? Didn't I attempt to make her stay?" Finn asked.

"No…there's a lot to the story that you don't need to know, Finn. It happened four years ago and a lot has happened since then. All you need to know is that Quinn didn't have the decency to even break up with you herself and then ran to Michigan like a coward."

Finn took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. "That explains why I have 'Figure out what's in Michigan' in my daily notes. I really need to be more detailed with some of these things."

"Sometimes it's good not to be too detailed, especially when it comes to Quinn," Santana said, her tone still cold.

"And why is that?" Finn asked, becoming even more confused.

"Because whether you remember it or not, she's ancient history. Sometimes you ask about her and sometimes you don't. That's why she's not important enough to have her own space in your file or any sort of special reminder. You're better off just forgetting about her completely, even though you can't do that."

Finn nodded to himself. He wondered if Santana was the one who had to initially break the news to Finn about his breakup with Quinn. Did Quinn talk to her and then just hit the road? The two girls had been best friends and told each other everything. Obviously that had changed.

Finally, Finn cleared his throat. "I guess I'll take your word for it then."

"Good. Is there anything else that you need help with?" Santana asked.

Finn thought for a moment before letting out a small laugh. "How long do you think I should wait before calling Rachel?"

Santana laughed at his question as well. "Well...I would say sometime today would probably be best. I know there is a rule to how soon you should call so you don't seem too eager...but she may just think you forgot if you don't do it sooner rather than later."

_Memory loss doesn't exactly give you the chance to play it smooth._

"Alright, I'll call her later," Finn said, a smile spreading across his face.

"Lord help you," Santana said, most likely noticing the excitement in his voice.

"Bye, Santana."

"Bye, Finnocence."

Finn hung up the phone, placing it next to his computer on his desk. Taking a deep breath, he finally took a moment to take in everything that was happening. His brain felt fuzzy as he tried to think about anything that had occurred over the past four years. It was an instant headache trying to look for the light in a room of pure darkness. Swallowing hard, Finn turned his attention back to his to do list laid out in front of him.

_1/15/2014:_

-_You went on a date with Rachel Berry last night. You had a great time and apparently she did too. In fact, she wants you to call her again. You shared a kiss at the end of the night, and trust me, it was even better than you've imagined._

-_Call mom_

_-You have a doctor's appointment at noon. Puck will be there at 11:45, so be ready._

Finn nodded to himself, looking over at his clock on his computer.

_10:50 AM_

He had managed to sleep in pretty late…not that he knew if this was later than he normally slept. However, he knew that he should start getting ready if Puck was going to be there in less than hour in order to get him. His phone call to Rachel would have to wait until after his appointment.

After he got done showering and eating some brunch, Finn heard a knock on the door. He hurried over to it and pulled it open, revealing his best friend standing on the other side.

"Puck!" he called, giving Puck a quick hug before pulling away.

"Hey, buddy. You're lookin' good. Ready to go?"

Finn nodded as he grabbed his jacket from the hook next to his door. "Totally."

"Finn…you need your wallet and stuff."

Freezing for a moment, Finn realized that he had no idea where his wallet "and stuff" was currently.

"Uh…" Finn said, looking behind him to his decently sized apartment. The necessities could be anywhere at this point and he didn't even know where to begin to look.

"Right here, man," he heard Puck say, turning Finn's attention forward again.

Puck grabbed a set of keys, a wallet, and a small notebook off of the shelf directly next to them before handing everything to Finn.

Finn let out a small laugh, taking each object from his best friend.

"Yeah, I knew that…" Finn joked, even though they both knew he hadn't.

"Of course…alright, let's head out," Puck said before leading the way.

As Finn and Puck drove together, they exchanged comfortable conversation. However, Finn didn't ask anything about his accident or Puck's new life. Instead, they found themselves talking about who would win in a fight, Batman or Indiana Jones. It was the perfect way for Finn to distract himself. His nerves were slowly building as they drove to the doctor's office, the office he couldn't remember whatsoever. Last time he checked he still saw Dr. Lansburg at the same office his mom had gone to his whole life.

However, as Puck parked his truck, Finn knew that he was definitely not going to see Dr. Lansburg. Instead, he was faced with a modern looking building that didn't have any name written across it to give anything away.

"Come on, Finn. Don't want to keep the doc waiting," Puck said as he slipped out of his side of the truck.

Sighing to himself, Finn nodded before sliding out of the truck as well. He didn't know what to expect during this appointment. How long had he been seeing this doctor, and did they have any information currently collected about Finn getting better? If he had made any progress over the past four years then he definitely wasn't aware of it.

Making their way inside, Finn trailed behind as Puck talked to the receptionist, greeting her by her first name. Finn couldn't help but wonder if Puck went with him to all of his appointments. It seemed likely considering how warm the woman behind the counter was to him.

"It's great to see you again, Finn," the woman spoke, smiling kindly at him.

"Oh, uh…it's great to see you too," Finn nodded. Although, he couldn't remember ever seeing her before.

"The doctor is ready for him, so if you just want to lead him around the corner then it shouldn't be a problem," the woman said, towards Puck this time.

"Great. Thanks, Cora. Come on, Finn."

Once again, Finn followed along behind Puck, taking in his surroundings. He studied every picture on the wall and every plant placed on a certain table.

_Something…anything…please just trigger some sort of memory._

Finally, Puck stopped in front of an open door and gestured inside. Finn walked through the door, greeted by a box shaped office with books lining the walls and comfy armchairs placed before a desk.

Behind the desk sat a man who seemed quite short, which wasn't hard compared to Finn. He wore round glasses and had a dark brown beard and bushy eyebrows. The man had been studying a book in front of him, which he quickly closed when he saw Finn enter.

"Finn! It's great to see you. You too, Noah. Please have a seat, gentleman."

Finn turned back to look at Puck, raising a brow at him. "You're staying?" he asked.

Puck laughed and gave him a quick nod. "Hell yeah. I need to be here to get information on your condition and fill in any holes for the doc that you can't."

"Oh…" Finn trailed off. It seemed logical for Puck to be in the room. However, Finn also felt like he didn't have any privacy with his best friend sitting next to him. Puck would hang on his every word, which slightly made Finn uneasy.

"Relax, dude. We've been doing this for years," Puck reassured him, giving him a little push towards one of the armchairs.

Finn took a seat, while Puck sat in the chair next to him. The doctor smiled at both of them, but then turned his attention more towards Finn.

"So, if you haven't heard yet, I am Dr. Brown. I have been working with you since your accident as your physician, with an emphasis in memory loss of course."

"Of course," Finn said in reply, still slightly on edge. He had met with this man throughout the years, which should probably put him more at ease. But he just couldn't rest his mind.

"Any bad headaches lately?" Brown asked, jumping right into things.

"One or two a day," Finn answered. "Santana and Puck made me a little chart system so I can keep track."

"Good," Brown said, smiling over at Puck. "I'm glad to hear they're not sticking with you all day anymore."

_Well, at least there's that._

Finn cleared his throat. "Can I…uh, ask for more details about the accident? I mean, I have the file that I read every morning…but since you're my doctor I figured you could just explain everything."

Brown nodded as he pulled off his glassed for a moment. He quickly rubbed his eyes before placing his glasses back on his nose again.

_What kind of gesture was that? Am I boring him? Maybe I just ask him this question every time…God._

"Well, your accident occurred four years ago, as you know. It was December 18th, 2009 and you had been at a football banquet to celebrate some sort of award."

"His scholarship to Ohio State," Puck cut in.

"Right," Dr. Brown nodded. "It had been snowing pretty hard that whole week leading up to the banquet and there were reports of areas with patches of black ice around town. Mainly areas that didn't have direct sunlight and only collected more snow and ice over the week. Well, on your way home from the banquet you were going down North Main Street when the light turned red. You stopped without a problem, but the driver headed towards you tried to stop as well, slid on black ice and sent themselves slipping forward head on into your car."

Brown paused for a moment, turning around to a filing cabinet where he quickly pulled out a folder. He then spun back around to face Finn and Puck, opening the file and sorting through some papers. Finally, he produced pictures and Finn's face completely fell as he realized they were of him.

The doctor passed them over to Finn in order to allow him to see the real damage. There were three pictures. One of Finn's old truck that was harshly bent out of shape. Another picture was a headshot of Finn, which showed him unconscious in his hospital bed. There was a cut across his left cheek, the same one that was now a scar, his lip was split open, and there was the forming of a bruise on his forehead.

Finn took a deep breath as he stared at the picture, not recognizing himself. He couldn't remember ever being in this condition.

Finally, the third picture was another headshot of Finn. Showing his head wounds mostly healed, except the mark still visible on his cheek.

"The movement caused you to jerk around, making you first slam your head on your steering wheel. However, another car that had the green light managed to slid into the crash as well. That impact caused you two slam your head hard on your side window, shattering it and cutting your cheek," Brown continued as Finn still didn't say anything.

"Due to the impact, your hippocampus was damaged, which affected your short term memory. You can't make any new memories, but you remember everything from before the crash. Every time you fall asleep at night all your new memories are completely wiped out, making the football banquet your last accessible memory," Brown finished.

Finn swallowed hard, trying to take everything in. He wished he could remember the crash. Thinking back to that night, he could remember chatting with all of his friends at the football banquet. Quinn had been at his side the entire time, showing how proud she was of him for earning his scholarship. Then he remembered leaving and being plenty cautious while he was driving. But then there was just blackness. The whole drive was a blur to him, especially when it came to the actual accident.

_But where was Quinn?_

Looking up at Brown, Finn decided to voice his thoughts, hoping he would get a straight answer.

"Was I with anyone? Or was I just completely alone?" Finn asked, pushing the pictures away from him slightly.

Brown didn't say anything for a moment as his eyes flickered over to Puck. Finn couldn't help but become confused by his doctor's weird actions, which only grew when he noticed Puck shaking his head from the corner of his eye.

Clearing his throat, Brown turned his attention back towards Finn before shaking his head.

"No. You were alone," he concluded.

Finn furrowed his brow, at a loss as to what had just happened. However, he could just be making things up in his head. His brain was messed up after all.

Nodding, Finn accepted Brown's answer, growing quiet again as he waited for his doctor to proceed with the rest of the appointment.

"So, why don't you tell me how things have been going lately? Any recorded issues?" Brown asked.

Finn looked over to Puck in search of some help. The last issue he could remember in his life was that he was having trouble getting his tie straight before the football banquet. However, that was a distant memory to when he woke up this morning, completely at loss as to where he was.

Puck noticed Finn's slight panic and jumped in for him.

"Nothing major. He did have a bit of a rough time the other day. He left work early," Puck stated to the doctor.

"I did?" Finn asked, furrowing his brow.

Puck let out a small sigh and nodded. "Yeah. You were a little beat up about not remembering something small…I think it was about drums and Berry."

"Drums?" Finn raised a brow. He had played drums a lot back in high school for his own personal enjoyment, but it wasn't something he really brought up to anyone. So why would he be asking Puck about drums?

"Oh yeah!" Puck said, turning towards Dr. Brown again. "Finn asked me if it was alright for him to play the drums. Since his head is all messed up we didn't know if the banging and loud music would just screw things up even more."

Finn looked over to Dr. Brown, watching as the man scratched his chin through his beard.

"Hmmm…I don't see why not. It's not like he's going to be slamming his head against his drums or anything. You should be fine. Finn," the doctor concluded.

Finn nodded, still unsure why his drumming was at all relevant in his life.

_Wouldn't I ask my mom about my drumming instead of Puck? She's the only one who really knows. Plus, the only drum kit I really can use it currently in our old basement…or maybe it's not._

"But why was Finn so upset, Noah? Was it because he couldn't play the drums?" Dr. Brown continued, seeming interested in Finn's outburst that had apparently occurred a few days ago.

Puck shook his head. "Nah. He was all beat up because there were certain things I couldn't explain to him. Like with this chick, Rachel. He wrote down some note about her, but when I couldn't explain why he got super frustrated."

Finn looked down at his hands, feeling his shoulders tense slightly. This no longer felt like an appointment for him, but rather an appointment for Puck and Dr. Brown to talk about him as if he weren't even there.

"He feels like if I'm not there at specific parts of his life then he won't know about them the next or know if anything is overall important. But if he tells me everything…he also doesn't have his own privacy," Puck continued.

_For not remembering that I said any of this…it's all pretty spot on still. _

Finn continued to look down, soaking in all of the information that Puck and his doctor were providing.

"That's perfectly normal for him to feel that way. It's hard not remembering what occurred in our lives the day before or even over the course of the past four years. Add in anxiety and splitting headaches, and it only makes matters worse," Dr. Brown chimed in.

_Wow. That's reassuring. _

"I think creating a better system for Finn would be a good idea. Just so he can be more organized and maybe have more information set aside from the day before…or maybe even weeks," Puck pushed, his tone sounding concerned for his best friend.

"That's a great idea. We're still working on a better system ourselves. So if you, Santana, and even Finn can come up with something better than please share it with us," Brown said, sounding poorly optimistic.

"Okay…" Puck trailed off, sounding disappointed.

_Really that was all he could offer? He's my doctor for Christ's sake. Shouldn't he have come with something over these past couple of years?_

Finn took a deep breath, feeling a pain rise in his throat.

"I can't keep living this way," Finn said, his voice breaking. He began to shake his head as he kept his eyes focused down on his hands.

"I can't keep going through each day just feeling completely blind and forgetting even the simplest things. Who wants to live like this?"

He looked up at his doctor, a small coat of tears collecting over his eyes.

Dr. Brown was frowning at Finn, still looking as if were completely at ease.

"Finn, we're trying our best to find a solution for you, but it takes time-" Brown stated, but Finn cut in.

"How much time? I've been waiting four years! Four years spent in the dark, relearning the basic facts about my life every single day."

Finn paused for a moment, to take a shaky deep breath, but he was too upset.

"I hate not knowing where I am when I wake up every morning or the fact that I can't remember going on a date with Rachel last night. I have to read these stupid notes and have them tell me how I feel because I can't remember that myself."

Running a hand through his hair, Finn could see Dr. Brown's eyes widen slowly as Finn only became more worked up.

"What's going to happen two years from now? What about when I get married? Or when I have kids?" Finn's voice was breaking more and more, but he didn't see the use in hiding it. "I don't want to look at my own damn children and not even recognize them. I want to enjoy my life."

Letting out a final sigh, Finn shook his head as he looked down again. The room now felt tense and he was beginning to feel embarrassed by his out burst.

_Have I done this before? Or maybe I do this every time I come here. I have no way of knowing. Unless…I ask._

However, Finn was tired of asking, and he was sure everyone was tired of answering.

"Look, Finn…" Dr. Brown started, but stopped for a moment. "We're trying our best here. Memory loss and head injuries are a tricky situation. We can't just give you some sort of treatment and risk making matters worse. But we're not going to give up…someday things will get better."

Finn slowly looked back up at Brown, not falling for a word that he said. However, Finn also decided not to voice any more of his thoughts. Obviously there was a lot that Brown still couldn't answer for him, even after four years.

"Right now all I can suggest is to keep taking your meds, and work with Noah and Santana in order to figure out a better system for your notes. I think that would be a smart idea. But also," Brown paused again, taking out a notepad and quickly scribbling on it.

"I'm going to prescribe you some new meds. They will help with your anxiety and lower the serotonin levels in your brain. That way you'll be able to relax more and not worry so much about your situation."

Finn felt his jaw clench as he listened to his doctor. Had he really been putting up with this guy's shit for four years now?

_My situation? You mean my life? This head injury has become my life. _

Brown finished writing up Finn's prescription and then handed it over to Finn.

"I also put our next appointment date and time on there. I look forward to seeing you again, Finn. Call me if you need anything before then."

Finn mumbled a thank you and stood from his chair, as did Puck. The two walked out of the office together, not saying anything as Finn only fell into a deeper slump.

Finally reaching the parking lot, Puck began to voice his thoughts, taking Finn by surprise.

"That guy is such a complete asshole. Everything that comes out of his mouth is bullshit," Puck stated before letting out an annoyed groan.

"I've told Santana countless times that we need to send you somewhere else because that punk isn't doing anything, but she won't listen to me," Puck continued as he unlocked his truck and they both climbed inside.

Once they were situated, Puck placed his key in the ignition, but didn't start up the engine.

"I'm really sorry, Finn. I know you're tired of not getting answers and so am I…" Puck stared ahead as if he were looking for something specific.

Finn shrugged. "It is what it is…if they can't do anything then I can't really let myself get too upset about it, right?"

However, Finn's voice sounded plenty upset. He was drained and felt ultimately defeated. He was faced to live a lifestyle that he had not chosen and didn't think he deserved. There was no "bigger plan" involved in his case or else life really had no mercy.

"No…this isn't just something we can shrug off. I'll find you a new doctor. I promise," Puck said, nodding to what seemed like mainly himself.

Finn looked at his best friend, noticing the determination in his eyes. Seeing Puck in this state meant that he was being completely serious. Finn had no doubt in his mind that Puck would actually find him a new doctor.

"Thanks, man. That really means a lot," Finn said, letting a weak smile fall on his lips.

"The least I can do," Puck replied, finally starting up the truck and making his way out of the parking lot.

They drove in silence for a few minutes before Puck looked over at Finn again, now seeming calmer.

"Did you want to come over? San is making some spaghetti and we could play some Call of Duty."

Finn couldn't help but laugh at Puck's words. It was nice to know that even after four years they still played the same videos game as they had in high school.

However, Finn remembered that he still had a few things left on his to do list. Calling Rachel being one of them.

"Nah, man. That's okay. I still need to call Rachel and I'm pretty tired…it might be an early night for me."

An early night meant he would just forget everything even earlier than usual. It was an endless cycle that only left a bitter taste in Finn's mouth.

"Understood. Home it is then."

After Puck dropped Finn off at his place, Finn made is way upstairs and went straight to find Rachel's phone number. He was nervous to call her, but his note made it seem like calling her was more than okay. Hopefully Rachel had enjoyed herself just as much as he did.

Letting out a slow breath, Finn collected his courage and dialed Rachel's phone number. He pressed his phone to his ear, waiting anxiously as it rang.

"Hello?" Rachel's sweet voice suddenly filled his ear.

_Rachel._

Finn felt like he was suddenly becoming putty and all she had said was a simple greeting.

"Hello?" Rachel said again, sounding slightly confused.

_Say something, idiot._

"Uh, hey, Rachel. It's Finn. Finn Hudson."

_Of course she knows its Finn Hudson. She's not the one with the memory loss._

"Oh, Finn! It's great to hear from you," Rachel's voice filled Finn's ear, making him smile. She sounded so genuine, like she really was glad he had called.

_That's a good sign. As long as you don't mess things up now. _

"Hah, yeah. I figured I should call sooner rather than later because…" he trailed off, not really wanting to discuss his head injury with her. He didn't want everything he did to revolve around his unfortunate situation.

"Of course," Rachel said, still sounding upbeat and sweet.

Finn smiled to himself, feeling more at ease.

"I was just calling because I wanted to know if you wanted to go out again tomorrow night. I was thinking we could have dinner at…" Once again Finn trailed off, realizing that he had no idea what restaurants currently surrounded the area. He should have done his research before he called.

"How about Breadstix? 6:30 tomorrow night?" Rachel asked, taking control of the situation. Finn was definitely glad that she had stepped in.

"That sounds perfect," Finn said with a laugh.

"Great!" Rachel said back, her voice ringing with joy.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow," Finn stated, not wanting to keep her on the phone too long. He didn't want to embarrass himself somehow.

"I look forward to it," Rachel's words made Finn's heart skip a beat.

Before he could say anything, he heard the phone click and knew Rachel had hung up. He couldn't help but laugh as he hung up as well and placed his phone on his desk.

_Another date with Rachel Berry. That deserves a pat on the back._

Finn turned around and looked at his bed behind him, realizing how inviting it currently looked.

_Or maybe just a nap. _

Nodding to himself, Finn decided that a nap definitely sounded like the better option. Kicking his shoes off, he climbed onto his bed and fell onto his back. He let out a sigh of relief as he began to relax into his mattress. After his appointment he felt incredibly drained and wanted nothing more than to just sleep.

Closing his eyes, Finn's breathing quickly became heavier until everything became more and more foggy around him.


	6. Chapter 6

Sitting up in bed, Finn began to crack his neck as he looked around the room with heavy eyes. There was little light shining in the room, showing that the sun was just rising outside. Furrowing his brow, he began to look around the room, not recognizing his surroundings.

_Did I drink last night or something?_

Finn thought back to the night before, only remembering being at the football banquet.

_So did I end up going to another party afterward or something?_

Looking around, Finn didn't feel like this was one of his friend's house. He only really hung out with Puck, Sam, or Mike outside of football, but this was neither of their rooms. Glancing over at the nightstand, Finn noticed it was only five thirty in the morning. However, the note sitting in front of his alarm clock caught his attention.

_Call Santana? Would that be smart right? It's so early and she would probably kill me._

Finn sat there for a moment, weighing out his options. However, he finally decided that he needed answers and she was his best shot.

Standing from his bed, Finn found a phone on the desk and pressed a button to cause it to light up. He was faced with a picture of him and his mom, but he couldn't remember taking the picture at all. He looked older and more mature than he remembered, which made him feel even more uneasy.

Quickly, he found Santana's name in his phonebook and hit the call button.

"Oh my God, Hudson. This better be important or I am going to kill you," Santana groaned in his ear.

_I guess she wasn't expecting me to call her. _

"Sorry, I just…er, I woke up and I have no idea where I am," Finn said, looking behind him as if he expected someone to be there.

"There's a file on top of your laptop. Pick it up and read it. It'll explain everything," Santana yawned.

Finn looked over at his laptop and lifted a brow.

"Uh…what file? There's nothing here."

"What? What do you mean there's nothing there?" Santana asked, sounding slightly annoyed.

"I mean that there's nothing here. My laptop is sitting here, but there's no file," Finn explained, furrowing his brow.

"Finn Hudson, if you lost that file then I swear to god that I will have your head."

"Easy, Santana. I don't even know what you're talking about. Maybe I just misplaced it?" Finn said looking at the contents on his desk.

"How could you lose the most important piece of information in your life? Are you an idiot? Did you forget to put it on top of your laptop last night?" Santana fired each question at him, seeming more and more upset after each sentence.

_What file is she even talking about? I don't have any files in my room. If this is even my room. And even if it is, why would this file even matter? _

"What file?" Finn pressed on, feeling a small headache begin to sink in.

"It's a file that says 'Read Me Every Morning.' The file that contains all the information about your accident, key factors of your life over the past four years, and the current state of your life nowadays," Santana said quickly, obvious irritation in her voice.

_What the hell?_

"My what?" Finn asked, feeling the color drain from his face.

Santana sighed. "Your accident. You were in a car accident four years ago. You hit your head and it damaged your short-term memory, so every time you go to sleep you forget what happened while you were awake. Hence why you can't remember last night…or anything that occurred over the past few years. The last thing you remember is being at McKinley for the football banquet, right?"

Finn swallowed hard, beginning to connect some of the dots in his head. All of this news was making his headache sink in more and more.

"Right," Finn said, looking over everything on his desk again. He saw the corner of a folder and slipped it out from under other objects. Sure enough, there was the file Santana was talking about; the four words written across the entire front.

"I found the folder," Finn mumbled, opening it up. Newspaper articles and other pages laid out in front of him. They all included what his life had consisted of over the last four years. It was scary to look back and not remember his own life, especially because he had to rely on Santana and articles to set him straight.

"Good," Santana stated, sounding less annoyed. "I'm guessing that since your folder wasn't put in the right place that you also didn't type out your schedule for today."

"Where would that be?" Finn asked, lowering the file back to his desk.

"Normally it's on a word document that will be open when you turn on your laptop," Santana informed him.

Turning his attention to his laptop, Finn opened it up to find no word document currently waiting for him.

"Nope," he said finally, feeling slightly embarrassed. Obviously all of these things were important in his new life and he figured he should have remembered to put everything in its necessary place. Well, he did have an issue with his memory apparently.

"Hang on, Finn," Santana said.

Finn waited as he heard muffled voices on Santana's end of the line. He could tell one was hers while the other sounded much deeper, but equally as annoyed.

Finally, Finn heard Santana's voice again, but clearer.

"Okay. Puck and I are going to come over. We'll be over in an hour so just sit tight."

"Puck?"

"Yes, Finn. We're still together."

"And you know where I am?" Finn asked, still feeling uneasy.

"Of course we know where you are. You're at your place. I know you don't recognize it, but that's your apartment, Finn. No one is going to come attack you with a knife and deflate your man boobs," Santana said. Finn could basically hear her eye roll.

However, he still couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm glad to see you haven't changed in these past three years," he said.

"Four years, and I'll always be a mean bitch somehow. But that's why you love me," Santana spoke, a smirk evident in her voice.

"Of course," Finn said with a small laugh.

"Whatever, Hudson. We'll be there soon. Just don't go crazy. See you in a little."

Santana hung up and Finn slowly brought his phone done from his ear before hitting the end button.

_Okay…they'll be here in an hour. I can keep myself busy 'til then._

Finn placed his phone on the desk in front of him before looking around the room, uncertain what to do.

_Well, what would I normally do? Not older Finn, but younger Finn…the Finn I remember. _

_I'd shower._

Nodding to himself, Finn turned to find three doors laid out in front of him.

_Okay…which one is the bathroom? Let's try this one. _

Finn reached to open the door closest to him, finding his bathroom on the other side. A triumphant smile spread across his face as he walked in and closed the door behind him. He knew it was stupid to smile just because you found your own bathroom, but he still felt pretty successful.

After reading some of the sticky notes placed all over his mirror, Finn felt his head spinning again and decided a shower was definitely necessary.

Once Finn was out of the shower, dressed, and had placed some weird cream on his "new" facial scar, he walked out to the rest of his apartment and began to look around. Sticky notes were covering everything, which made him feel a little stupid. He didn't like that his issue was basically out there for everyone to see. Any guests in his home would probably think he was a complete nutcase.

However, Finn couldn't even remember writing any of these notes or sticking them up. Maybe they had been important at the time.

Stopping to read a note on one of his cabinets, Finn couldn't help but raise a brow.

_Mike called._

_Yeah, because I'm sure that's going to do me plenty of good now_.

Sighing to himself, Finn walked around the room and began to read every sticky note he could find. He found that most of them were useless, while others were about past information that he still remembered.

_Maybe I was scared I would forget that stuff too._

Suddenly, Finn heard a knock from his front door, causing him to quickly go to open it. He pulled it open to find Santana and Puck on the other side, which helped him relax slightly.

"Hey, guys," Finn said as he gave them the best smile he could manage.

"You're lucky that we love you," Puck said, pushing his way passed Finn into the apartment.

"Seriously, Hudson. Why couldn't you just follow your routine like you always do?" Santana asked, following Puck inside.

Finn closed the door and turned to face them.

"It's not like I did it on purpose," Finn said with a scoff. "Or…at least I don't think that I did. I don't exactly remember why I didn't do any of that stuff yesterday."

"You said you were tired when I dropped you off yesterday. We went to the doctor's and you were bummed out afterward," Puck said, taking a seat on Finn's couch.

"So you were too tired to put your stuff in the right place? Really? Come on, Finn," Santana said, folding her arms over her chest.

"Don't 'come on, Finn' me. That was yesterday's Finn, not today's Finn. I don't even remember doing any of that stuff," Finn argued.

"There is no yesterday Finn or today Finn; they're all the same Finn. They're all you," Santana said, her tone annoyed and confused.

Finn shook his head. "Not to me. They're different Finns because I don't even remember that Finn and tomorrow I won't remember this Finn." His breathing became a little heavier as he stared at the ground, not sure where this was all coming from.

"Calm down, dude. Santana's just being overly dramatic. You know how she is," Puck jumped in.

"Hey!" Santana said, swatting at Puck.

"We just need to stick to the system or figure out a new system. I had a couple of ideas that I wanted to pass by both of you," Puck continued. "Come sit down."

Finn and Santana both looked at each other for a second, but with a final eye roll from Santana they joined Puck.

"Okay, so first things first. I think that Finn should be able to find his folder and everything he needs without having to call you every day, Santana. Not that we don't want you to call, dude. It's just that I figured this was a way for you to get a little more independence," Puck voiced.

Finn nodded. "Alright. What do you suggest?"

"I was thinking that we could set your 'Read Me Every Morning' folder next to your alarm clock so it's the first thing you see every morning. That way you find it yourself and go through it on your own. Then we can include a note talking about your daily schedule, and another note saying to call either San or me if you need us."

"I don't know, Puck. That seems like a lot for Finn to take in on his own without me on the phone with him. Normally it's nice for him to have me there to talk through his thoughts with him. Plus-" Santana said.

"I like it," Finn said, cutting Santana off.

"You do?" she asked, raising a brow at him.

"Yeah. I really like it actually. Especially the freedom and independence part. It has been…four years? And I have been calling you basically every morning. If I have permanent short term memory loss then you could have me calling you every day for the next twenty years," Finn voiced.

"Not if you get married and have your wife do it instead," Santana said flatly.

"Still," Finn shrugged. "I'd like to give this a shot. If it doesn't work then we'll go back to the old system until we figure something out. But it's worth a try."

"That's what I'm saying! Alright, man!" Puck said, a smile spread across his face.

Santana let out an annoyed sigh. "Fine. You know what? We'll try your little system. But if it doesn't work, Puck is going to be answering your morning phone calls for the next four years."

Finn could see Puck's face fall slightly. However, when Puck's eyes met Finn's again, Puck managed to give him a reassuring smile.

"But that still doesn't solve the problem from last night. If Finn doesn't remember to put his folder back in the right place or type out his schedule then he's going to wake up completely lost and confused. Without the note to call me, he could be stuck in his room all day not knowing where he is or what's going on," Santana said. Her words caused Finn to furrow his brow. He knew that she was right, but it wasn't exactly something that he wanted to accept.

"Then we'll set a separate alarm on his clock. What time does he normally go to bed? Ten? Eleven? We'll set it around that time and include in his notes that the alarm will go off at that time, and then keep the list of stuff that he needs to do," Puck said, once again talking some sense into the situation.

Santana looked over at Finn, eyeing him for a moment. "You like this plan, don't you?"

Finn shrugged before giving her a single nod. "I'm willing to try something new."

"But you don't even remember the old stuff!" Santana said, sounding flustered.

"Stop, Santana. Just let him give it a try and if it doesn't work then it doesn't work.

But I told you everything he said at the doctor's appointment yesterday. He needs to try something new or he'll keep breaking down like that."

Finn raised a brow at his best friend. "I broke down?"

Puck shrugged him off. "Only a little. Don't worry about it."

_Well now I'm definitely worrying about it. _

"Fine! Fine, we'll try the damn system. I'll be expecting lots of panicked phone calls from Finn and then I'll be able to say that I told you so," Santana said, folding her arms again and leaning back against Finn's couch.

"Great! Then it's settled. We'll help you get it started tonight so we know how everything is going to work. Until then, let's just chill. None of us have work today and it has been awhile since we've actually done anything together," Puck said, sounding upbeat.

'"Sure," Santana said flatly. However, even with all the attitude in her voice and demeanor, Finn could tell she didn't completely hate the idea.

"Let's do it, man," Finn said, a smile easing onto his lips.

Despite it being only seven thirty in the morning, the three decided to throw on a movie and make some food. However, when the movie ended up being more on the action side, Santana took it as her job to point out everything wrong with the film.

She didn't even stop complaining when Puck threw a pillow in her face. As they put in a second movie, Santana and Puck didn't even make it halfway before they both dozed off on Finn's couch.

Finn was too scared to sleep. He found that he wasn't very tired, but even if he was he would have avoided sleep like the plague. He didn't know how long he had to sleep in order for his memories to be wiped out and he didn't want to risk taking a fifteen minute nap just to wake up and not remember anything. That was something he would prefer not to do twice, or rather not at all.

When Santana and Puck finally woke up it was two in the afternoon and Finn was flipping through the earlier pages of a small journal he had found.

"What is this?" Finn asked both of them, reading through all the notes and dates. It was obviously his handwriting, but all the notes seemed so irrelevant to him.

"Your notebook. You write little important reminders in there to carry into the next day, or just stuff you want to remember to ask. That thing has been going strong for the past four years," Puck told him.

"Yeah, I can tell," Finn said, observing the large amount of pages currently filled with small notes.

As he flipped through he saw one note, causing him to pause on the page.

_6/18/2012:_

_-Call Quinn_

"Call Quinn," Finn spoke aloud. He looked up at both of his friends, noticing a look of surprise on both of their faces.

"Where is Quinn? Do we still talk?" Finn figured without any notes about Quinn hanging around or even in his folder that they had broken up at some point. However, he wasn't sure when or why. Well, maybe he did know why.

"She's gone, toast, history. Somewhere in Michigan. And no, you two don't talk anymore," Puck said as he stood from the couch and took the journal from Finn. He then read over the page himself, seeming to relax slightly.

"When was the last time we talked?" Finn asked, glancing over at Santana.

"Oh, I'd say about four years ago. Give or take a day or two," she answered with a shrug.

"Four years? You mean we haven't talked since right after my accident happened?" Finn asked, completely surprised.

"More life before your accident happened," Santana said. Finn could tell that she didn't really want to talk about this, but he needed answers.

"Before the accident?" Finn said, his eyes widening. "But…how is that possible?"

"Because she dipped out, man. Apparently she was an 'emotional wreck' and 'needed time to herself.' Whatever," Puck said, throwing the journal back in Finn's lap.

"Why does it say to call her on June 18th, then?" Finn asked, trying to flip back to that page in his journal.

"You probably wanted more answers and thought you could call her. But you can't. You don't want to," Puck told him.

_I can't? Was that my decisions or yours?_

Finally opening up to the same page, Finn tried to read on to see if there was any more information on Quinn, but he was quickly disappointed. The simple note to call her was all there was.

Deciding to drop it, Finn nodded to his friends, allowing the journal to close again.

"Let's go out somewhere. We've been stuffed up in this apartment all day and I'm sure Finn could use the fresh air," Santana said, standing up from the couch.

Finn slowly nodded as he stood up as well, sliding the small notebook into his pocket.

"Alright, Hudson. Let's try to figure out where you left your wallet and keys."

When the three finally managed to get out of Finn's apartment, Finn was faced with a neighborhood that he barely recognized. He had been there a few times with his mom back in the day, but it wasn't exactly an ideal hang out spot for high school kids.

Other apartment buildings surrounded his as well as shops, making long strips on both sides of the street.

_How is it that I've lived here for almost four years of my life, yet none of this jogs a single memory? How can they all just be gone like that?_

They managed to pass a few hours by stopping in at some of the shops, looking at nothing specific, but still enjoying the company. They laughed as Puck read aloud a passage from a Romance novel in his sexiest voice, causing the owner to shoo them out of her bookstore.

"God, I feel like we're in high school again," Santana said, not caring to hold back a laugh.

Finn laughed as well, even though to him he felt like he actually should be in high school still.

When they passed a store that Finn hadn't seen before, Finn felt Puck nudge him in the side. When Finn looked over at his best friend, Puck was raising his eyebrows at him in a suggestive manner.

Finn couldn't help but furrow his brow. "What?"

"This store," Puck said, nodding towards the sign.

Finn looked back at the sign, reading over it again.

_Music Go Round_

_Why does that even matter? Do I really like this store or something? I wonder if they have drums._

Finn shrugged to himself. "Yeah, it seems pretty cool."

Santana laughed, catching Finn's attention.

_Am I missing something here?_

However, neither of his friends cared to explain as they continued down the street.

A small headache sat in the front of Finn's head all day as he tried to take everything in. It was definitely overwhelming, but he didn't want to give anything away. He wanted to appear as if he could handle all of these seemingly new surroundings. This was his life now after all.

When it hit five o'clock, Puck voiced that he was hungry, leading them to stop at a local bar and grill to grab some food.

"Woah. This is so crazy that I can legally drink now," Finn said as he wrapped his hands around his beer.

"You're such a wimp. We used to drink all the time in high school," Puck said before taking a swig of his own beer.

"Yeah, but I didn't get to drink openly in a bar. This is different," Finn voiced with a wide smile. He then sipped his own beer, feeling like a rebel somehow.

"You're so weird, Hudson," Santana said with an eye roll.

They spent the next hour drinking, talking, and finally eating once their food came. Finn couldn't help but wonder if he had been to the restaurant before, but he figured he had. Puck and Santana seemed pretty acquainted with the place, so Finn assumed he should technically be too.

Once they were done, they headed back to Finn's place, sitting back on his couch as Puck began to tell Finn random work stories from the past four years. Each one was different, but still ran a similar theme of Finn being completely clueless. Apparently Finn even managed to spill an entire bucket of bolts last year twice in the same day.

However, the conversation soon began to move in a different direction once Santana was bored of hearing about their "lame" stories.

"So, Hudson. Did you happen to write anything down about calling Rachel yesterday?" she asked, smirking at him.

Finn felt a slight wave of panic flood over him.

"Rachel who?" he asked, his heart beating faster.

"Uh…Rachel Berry, dude," Puck said, raising a brow at Finn.

"Rachel Berry? Why would I call Rachel Berry?" Finn asked, looking back and forth between his friends.

"Oh no…you didn't write anything down to read this morning. Crap, give me your notebook," Santana said, reaching her hand out.

Still completely confused, Finn reached into his pocket and grabbed his notebook, passing it over to her. He watched as Santana began to flip through the pages until she got to the section closer to the end.

"Here we go," she said, opening to a filled page. Santana then held the page open to Finn and pointed to a specific note on the page. Finn scanned it quickly, feeling his eyes widen at the neat handwriting in front of him.

It was a lengthy note about Sue Sylvester, which then led into a small note from Rachel. A note saying she would like to see him again followed by her phone number.

Finn couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "What?"

He couldn't believe that he had actually managed to get Rachel Berry's phone number. Granted the last thing he remembered was being the quarterback and the most popular guy at McKinley High, and he probably could have gotten any girl's phone number her wanted. However, that wasn't Finn's game. He had always had his eye on Rachel, but ironically he was too scared to ask for her number. Plus, there was the fact that he had been dating Quinn.

"God, you're love sick," Santana said, pulling the notebook away.

"I am not love sick…I just can't believe I got Rachel Berry's phone number," Finn said, leaning back in his seat.

"Yeah, shocking," Santana voiced, rolling her eyes.

"You didn't just get her number, dude. You two went out on a date Tuesday night and I'm pretty sure you kissed her," Puck said, giving Finn a look of approval.

"We did?" Finn said, a goofy smile spreading across his face.

"Like I said, love sick!" Santana said, throwing Finn's journal on the coffee table.

"But what about what you said about me calling her? What were you talking about?" Finn asked, his smile fading.

"Yesterday I told you to make sure to call Rachel to schedule another date. Just so she didn't think you forgot to call or something," Santana explained.

"And did I call her?" Finn asked.

"I don't know," Santana said with a shrug.

_Oh crap._

"Guess there's only one way to find out," Puck said, leaning forward in his seat. "Pull out your phone and call the girl."

Finn lifted a brow. "Won't that look bad on my part?"

"She knows you have the memory of a fish. She should understand," Santana voiced bitterly.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Finn scrolled through it slowly before he found Rachel's name in his phone book.

_Am I really going to call Rachel and ask her to remind me if we have a date or not? I don't think I really have a choice…_

Sighing to himself, Finn clicked the call button before pulling his phone up to his ear. "Here goes nothing."

The phone rang a few times before Rachel's sweet voice filled Finn's ear. However, she sounded hesitant and almost upset.

"Hello?"

"Uh, hey, Rachel. Are you okay?" Finn asked, worried that something may be wrong on her end of the line.

"Seriously?" Rachel asked, her voice now sounding madder.

Finn swallowed hard.

_Maybe I did something bad that I don't even remember. Damnit. Why didn't I write anything down last night?_

"Are you mad at me?" Finn asked.

"Yes, I am mad at you, Finn Hudson," Rachel spoke, not missing a single beat.

_Shit._

"What did I do?" Finn furrowed his brow, desperately trying to wrack his brain for something idiotic he had done to Rachel since their last date. The potential options were endless.

"Well, based on what you're saying, you forgot about our date tonight. No, that's stupid to say because of your condition, which I totally understand and respect. However, considering you were the one to call me last night in order to set up a date, I thought you would have the decency to at least write it down," Rachel quickly spoke.

_This is worse than I expected. I messed up my chances with Rachel within five minutes of knowing they even existed._

"We had a date tonight?" Finn asked breathlessly, causing Santana and Puck to both give him an alarmed look.

"Yes. We scheduled a date for seven at Breadstix," she informed him.

Finn glanced up at the clock on the wall, seeing that it was now 7:25.

_Good going, Hudson._

Trying to think of something to say, Finn blurted out the first thing that came into his mind.

"I'm coming! Just stay there! I'm on my way," he said, standing up from his seat.

"Finn, if you really think that I'm going to just wait here-" Rachel began.

"I'll be there soon! Just stay there!" Finn said before hanging up the phone. He hoped that Rachel would listen to him, although he knew his chances were slim.

"I need to go to Breadstix. Rachel is there for our date that started basically half an hour ago," Finn said quickly, grabbing the notebook off of the table. He then headed towards the door, but was stopped when Puck's hand grabbed his shoulder.

"Slow down, dude. I'll drive you," Puck said, turning to grab his keys.

Finn nodded, thankful that Puck was willing to help him out. He glanced over at Santana who was currently standing in the living room still, her arms neatly folded.

"Why don't you just let her eat alone? She should be used to that by now," she spoke.

Finn furrowed his brow before shaking his head at her. "What is your problem, Santana? Are you really still bullying Rachel even after four years."

"Just forget it, Finn. Let's go. You comin', San?" Puck said, opening Finn's front door.

Santana scoffed. "No, thanks. I'd rather not go visit the Yentl."

Finn opened his mouth to say something, but was then pushed out of his apartment by Puck. When the door was closed behind them, Puck spoke quietly as they walked down the stairs.

"Don't mind her, man. She's just being Santana."

Finn nodded, not wanting to get into why Santana still decided to be a snob towards Rachel. All he cared about was getting to Breadstix and making things right.

Puck drove quickly through the streets of Lima until he reached a building that was familiar to Finn.

Breadstix. The restaurant all the high school kids would go to before Prom, Valentine's Day, or just after a killer sporting event. It had always been Finn's favorite place to eat.

When they pulled into the parking lot, Finn could see Rachel walking out of the front door of the restaurant. Finn gently hit Puck in the shoulder.

"Stop the truck, dude. There's Rachel. I'm going to get out and talk to her," Finn said quickly.

Puck came to a stop, and Finn opened his door to slide out of the truck .

"Good luck!" Puck called before Finn closed the door and turned to jog the rest of the way to the door.

"Rachel! Hey!" Finn said as he got closer to her, waving a hand in the air.

"Finn, I told you not to come," Rachel said, shaking her head.

Finn came to a stop in front of her, gasping a little in order to catch his breath.

"I know, but I couldn't stand the thought of you being mad at me," he explained.

"I don't see how you showing up here like this will change my mind. I don't mean to be unsympathetic, but the fact that you forgot about our date actually hurts. I can't help but feel like it wasn't important enough to you to write down."

Finn shook his head. "That's not true. If anything it's the only thing that I want to write down in my reminders. It's the most important thing to me. It's just that yesterday's Finn was clearly not as smart as today's Finn."

Rachel furrowed her brow. "What are you talking about?"

Finn sighed, trying to calm himself down in order to find the right words.

"What I mean is that instead of writing down a note about our date or doing all the other tasks I'm supposed to do every night before bed, I just fell asleep like an idiot. I don't know if I was trying to be rebellious or I just forgot, but either way I made a mistake," Finn explained.

Rachel folded her arms across her chest. "You're right. That was very idiotic of you."

Finn couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Exactly. But despite what I did, or didn't do, last night, I can tell you that I was really excited about our date tonight. Probably overjoyed that you actually agreed to go out with me again."

"How do you know that?" Rachel asked, her voice sounding slightly less angry.

"Because…" Finn paused for a moment. "Because of how excited I am right now. I'm excited because I actually managed to go on a date with you and I get to stand here with you right now despite the fact that you're mad at me. Plus, we apparently even kissed the other night and I can honestly tell you it's something that I would like to do again."

Finn pressed his lips firmly together as his eyes widened. He had just said a lot more than he meant to, which most likely was going to only freak Rachel out as well.

However, Rachel seemed perfectly calm as she stared up at Finn, even though she was completely expressionless.

"But I understand if you're not interested in…_this _anymore," Finn said, looking down at his feet.

A few moments of silence stretched between them as Finn continued to look down.

_It's over. It has to be over. Good job, dude. You really messed this up fast. You may have even set a new record._

"Well…" Rachel finally spoke, causing Finn to slowly look up at her. "I guess I could give you another chance."

A wide smile instantly spread across Finn's face as he took in Rachel's words. He was glad to see that a small smile also sat on her own lips.

"Tomorrow night at Ted's. Meet me there at 6, and don't be late," she said, her smile turning into more of a smirk.

"I won't be," Finn said, nodding to her.

"Make sure you write it down in your notebook," she said, beginning to take a few steps backward, signaling their conversation was coming to an end.

"I will," Finn nodded again, reaching for his notebook in his pocket.

However, before he could grab it, he heard quick heels clicking again the pavement. He looked up just in time for Rachel to suddenly push her lips into his, completely taking him off guard.

Finn wanted to wrap his arms around her and enjoy the kiss for all that it was worth. However, the kiss was over just as soon as it had started.

"Don't forget," Rachel said, squeezing his hand as she gave him another smirk. She then let go of his hand and turned away, making her way towards the parking lot.

"I won't," Finn breathed, watching her as she continued to walk away from him.

After he could no longer see her, Finn finally fished his notebook out of his pocket and opened to a clean page.

_1/16/2014:_

_-You have a date with Rachel Berry at Ted's tomorrow night at six. Don't be late, don't forget, and make sure that you kiss her before the night is over._


	7. Chapter 7

Author's note: Hello, everyone! I just wanted to write a quick thank you to everyone who had followed/favorited/reviewed this story. It really means a lot. If you haven't noticed, usually I try to update every Tuesday, but since it's only a month until school is out for me things have been a little hectic. So I just had to skip a Tuesday because I was little overwhelmed. Until school is over it might be every other Tuesday that chapters are posted, but this story will be updated because I have a lot in store for everyone, mainly Finchel. But I'm really excited to get another chapter out to all of you. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Luckily, Finn hadn't forgotten about his date with Rachel. However, that may have been because he had written it in front of his alarm clock, inside of his "Read Me Everyday" file, and on his computer. He had even used an entire pack of sticky notes to put reminders all over his place.

At first he didn't understand why he had left himself so may notes. But when he found a specific page now dedicated to Rachel in his file, everything started to make sense. However, he couldn't believe it was actually real.

_Date with Rachel Berry at six tonight (1/17) at Ted's. DON'T FORGET._

Finn read that sentence again and again all over his apartment. All the reminders made him laugh. He must have either really messed up before or he just really didn't want to forget.

After Finn had showered and watched the news to see what was going on in the new world, his phone began to ring. Hurrying to answer it, he smiled when he saw Puck's name.

"Hey, man. What's going on?" Finn spoke.

"Oh thank, God. You're not completely losing your mind. Santana owes me five bucks," Puck said, causing Finn to lift a brow.

"Uh…yeah," Finn said, unsure of what Puck was referring to.

"Sorry, dude. It's just the first day of you having to find your file yourself instead of you having to call San…like you've done for everyday for the past four years. So we were kind of worried something would go wrong," Puck admitted.

Finn nodded to himself. "No…uh…that sounds reasonable. But everything is fine and I'm not losing my mind. Well, not completely anyway."

Puck and Finn shared a small laugh at Finn's words. It was nice to have Puck still in his life even after all these years that he couldn't remember.

"Oh, and I was supposed to remind you. You have a date with Rachel tonight at six. You're going to some place called Ted's," Puck said.

Finn let out another small laugh. "Yeah, I think I got that. My apartment is covered in reminders."

"Guess she's pretty important to you, huh?" Puck said, amusement in his voice.

A small smile crept across Finn's lips as he thought about Rachel. Even though he couldn't remember anything that happened with Rachel, he could tell that he really liked her. Not only because he had liked her since he had first seen her in high school. It was as if there was something in him that could still remember the feelings that he had felt for Rachel over the past few days, even if he didn't know why he felt them. He just knew from the instant smile, the quickening of his heart rate, and just the overall warm feeling that fled over him that he really liked this girl.

"Yeah, I guess she is," Finn responded, his smile apparent in his voice.

"Alright, man. San is hitting me to get off the phone. I'll be there at five thirty to pick you up and take you to the date, okay?" Puck spoke.

"I can't drive myself?" Finn asked.

There was a slight pause before Puck quickly cleared his throat.

"You don't have a car anymore…not since the accident, so I have kind of been your driver, or you walk. But Ted's isn't exactly close."

_Well, that sucks. It sounds like I'm being babied or something._

Finn nodded. "Okay. But can you make it five fifteen? I want to make sure I'm there extra early, just in case."

Puck laughed. "You got it, dude. See you then."

"See ya."

Finn hung up the phone and placed it in his pocket. He didn't want to risk leaving it on the end table and somehow forgetting it. Keeping important things close to him at this point seemed like the better option.

Glancing down at his watch, Finn noticed that he still had five hours before his date and no idea how he was supposed to kill them. He had no idea what was in his apartment to do since he couldn't remember where anything was.

_What would eighteen-year-old Finn do if he had time to kill? Homework? Hah, yeah right. _

_Video games._

Finn licked his lips as he looked back at his television, wondering if he even had a video game console or any games to play. That could be something else put in storage once he moved. He imagined his mom and Santana would say that he needed to grow up and probably even give his video games away. He really hoped that wasn't the case.

_Puck had to pull through somehow, right? He wouldn't let them throw away my stuff. _

Standing up from the couch, Finn checked in the cabinet next to television, but only found movies and two remotes that had the batteries taken out of them. He then moved on to the next logical place; his bedroom closet. However, all he found were shoes and clothes.

_Come on. They had to leave me with something._

Next, Finn checked the hall closet, faced with a vacuum cleaner, a random board game, and a box of old pictures. He almost stopped to look at the box full of photos, but decided to continue his search for something video game related.

Glancing up to the highest shelf, Finn saw a black box and instantly reached for it. Pulling it down, a wide smile spread across his face as he found his Xbox sitting inside.

"Jackpot," he said before closing the hall closet and heading back into the living room.

Finn quickly set up the console and chose a game to play before sitting back on his couch. A content smile was spread across his face as he waited for everything to start up.

Once the game began, Finn instantly fell back to old Finn, the Finn that he knew. The Finn that could kick ass in Call of Duty as long as he had his machine gun of choice. However, it didn't take long for him to be completely lost within his game. Falling back into his old habit of repeating round after round and not paying attention to anything but getting a higher killing streak.

After who knows how many rounds, Finn rubbed his eyes a little and allowed himself to stretch as he waited for the game to load. However, he suddenly jumped when he heard a knock at his front door.

Getting up from the couch, Finn went to the door and opened it to reveal Puck on the other side.

"Jesus Christ, dude. You're not really going to the date dressed like that are you?" Puck asked, shaking his head.

Finn glanced down at his clothes before looking back at Puck. He was only in a t-shirt and jeans, which didn't exactly fit the usual date attire.

"No. I'm about to change. I was just…preoccupied," Finn said.

Puck looked passed Finn into the apartment, seconds passing before a large grin took over Puck's expression.

"Oh, dude! A little Call of Duty! I see you found the Xbox I stashed away for you," Puck spoke, moving passed Finn into the apartment. "The girls tried to toss it, but I saved it for you."

Finn couldn't help but laugh as he shut the front door. "Thanks, man."

"No problem. What kind of best friend would I be if I didn't protect my best friend's console?"

Puck took a seat on the couch and took the controller into his hands, waiting for the next round to begin.

"You go change. I'm going to teach these punks how it's done."

Finn smiled and shook his head slightly as he headed into his room, determined to find something more fitting to wear.

Once Finn was changed and Puck was finished "handing it to all the pubescent nerds," they managed to leave the apartment and head to the restaurant.

"I just want to say that I'm really glad that you're getting out there. Even if it is with Berry," Puck said, sounding somewhat sincere.

Finn looked over at his best friend, opening his mouth to say something, but Puck cut him off with a laugh.

"I'm only joking, man. I know that Berry was below us on the food chain in high school, but that's over now. Besides, I always thought she was sneaky hot."

"But you always gave me crap every time I was remotely nice to her," Finn said, raising a brow.

"Even if I thought she was hot I wasn't going to ruin my rep. I was the biggest bad ass at McKinley. I'm probably still the biggest badass in Lima. You're my best friend and I didn't want to see you get chewed up because you were exchanging smiles with my fellow Jew."

Finn shrugged. "I always liked her. Even though people were mean to her…I always thought she was special."

"Yeah, I could tell," Puck stated.

"You could? How?" Finn asked, slightly shocked.

"I'm your best friend. I could just tell," Puck said nonchalantly.

Finn let out a small laugh. "And I thought I hid it so well."

"Nah, your goofy smiles and feet shifting give you away for miles. All those times I tried to teach you to play it cool were just wasted," Puck joked.

"And I'm guessing I still haven't mastered it?" Finn asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Not at all," Puck said with a smirk.

Laughing, Puck pulled up to an unfamiliar restaurant that looked somewhat promising.

"Did I choose this place?" Finn asked as he looked up at the sign.

"Nah, I think she did," Puck replied, pulling up to the curb for Finn to get out.

_Well at least I know she likes the food._

"Alright," Finn nodded, but paused before he got out of the truck. "Uh…do you want to pick me up at like…eight?"

Puck let out a small laugh. "How about you text me if and when you want me to come get you?"

Finn nodded again. "Okay. That sounds good."

Opening the door, Finn slid out of the truck, turning to close the door.

"Good luck! You'll probably need it," Puck called to him before the door closed.

Finn shook his head as his best friend drove off.

_Four years older, but somehow still the same. _

That thought made Finn smile to himself. A little bit of consistently definitely didn't hurt him right now.

Walking inside of the restaurant, Finn asked for a table for two, giving the hostess Rachel's name and a quick description before he was seated.

As he sat at the table waiting the extra half an hour until Rachel would be there, Finn began to look through the menu. He was impressed with the options and definitely wanted to remember to come here again.

Pulling out his small notebook, Finn wrote down the name of the restaurant, wondering if he would ever even read this note again. There were so many small notes in the book and he wondered if he ever went back through everything. Probably not considering it seemed like it was filled with notes from years back.

As time passed, Finn began to slightly fidget. He couldn't help but feel like Rachel might not show up. Considering all the notes he left himself he had concluded that he must have forgotten about one of their dates. She could possibly blow him off for a form of payback.

However, five minutes before six, Finn looked up to find the hostess leading Rachel to his table. Instantly, Finn stood from the table to greet her, his mouth falling open as he stared at the beautiful brunette. There was no ignoring the way his heart began to instantly race as he saw her wide smile that pushed a dimple into one of her cheeks.

_Wow._

Once Rachel was seated, Finn took his seat again, feeling his usual goofy smile plastered on his face.

_Yeah. I'm definitely not capable of playing it smooth._

"Hello, Finn. I'm glad to see that you could make it," Rachel said, a hint of teasing in her voice.

Finn let out a small laugh. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."

His comment caused Rachel's smile to grow wider.

"The hostess said you have been here for about half an hour…is that true?" she asked, looking at him through her lashes.

Finn nodded. "Yeah. I didn't want to be late or miss anything. I really didn't want to screw this up."

"Well, then you succeeded. I must say I am very flattered and impressed," Rachel spoke, opening up her menu.

Finn could only smile at her, still taking in the fact that he was actually on a date with Rachel Berry.

Suddenly, Rachel laughed, causing Finn to lift a brow.

"What is it?" he asked, nervous that he somehow had something on his face or in his nose.

"It's just that every time I see you, you look at me the same way every time. It's as if you can't believe I'm real or something," Rachel said with a shrug.

_Dang. I am so obvious. _

"I guess I can't," Finn admitted, watching as Rachel tilted her head to side.

"Explain," she said simply.

_Explain? Seriously? I didn't even know I looked at you the same way every time. How am I supposed to explain something I barely know anything about? Think, Hudson._

Clearing his throat, Finn shrugged. "I guess each time I see you…it's like I'm seeing you for the first time. Over and over again. To me, it's like…" Finn paused, attempting to find the right words. "It's like experiencing something beautiful over and over again. I just get this breath of fresh air and I just think….'my life is better now.'"

Finn didn't realize that he was looking passed Rachel instead of at her until he let his eyes shift back to hers.

However, his own eyes widened after a moment as he realized everything that he just said.

_That had to freak her out, right? Oh, God. I shouldn't have said all that._

"I mean, at least that's how it felt when I just saw you. I can't really speak for all the other times throughout the past few days, weeks, or whatever. But that's how it feels now…or er…I don't know. Maybe even back in high school. I'm saying too much, right? I really need to stop," Finn rambled on before shaking his head at himself. He had to be the biggest idiot of all idiots.

Suddenly, Finn heard Rachel giggle, causing his heart to skip a beat.

"No, you're not saying too much. Normally I'm the one who talks too much, but this is a nice change," Rachel spoke.

A weak smile fell on Finn's lips, but he still felt slightly uneasy.

"You didn't freak me out," Rachel said, shaking her head. It was as if she had just read his thoughts. "If anything, that was perfect. Because in so many ways you've already made my life better, as well as back in high school."

Finn's smile grew. "Really?"

Rachel returned his smile and nodded. "Really."

Letting out a deep breath, Finn followed it with a laugh. "Kind of serious for our uh…? How many dates is this?"

"Well, three is we're counting last night when you stood me up. But technically only two," Rachel said.

Finn's mouth fell open slightly. "I stood you up?"

Rachel shrugged. "Yeah, but it's not big deal. You forgot."

Finn sighed. "Story of my life. I hope you chewed me out for being such an idiot."

"I did, but you seemed to be more mad with yourself then I was. But you're cute so I thought I would give you another chance," Rachel said.

Finn smiled at her. "And I'm really glad that you did."

Suddenly the waitress appeared, taking their drink orders. Since Rachel had a "usual" at the restaurant she was all ready to order food. Finn managed to scramble something together as she ordered before the waitress took their menus and left their table.

"So, what about you? I don't know how much you told me during out last date, but I'd like to know what's going on in your life now," Finn spoke.

"There's not too much to tell. I work at the Music Go Round not far from your house. I still live in the same neighborhood basically. I'm just older and wiser now," Rachel informed him.

Finn knew there had to be more to her story. Parts that she could actually remember, unlike him.

"Weren't you supposed to go to some big theatre school?" Finn asked, remembering the day he had heard secondhand that Rachel had been accepted to some college that she was ecstatic about.

Rachel's smile fell as she nodded. "I was supposed to go to NYADA."

Finn raised a brow. "You were supposed to? But why didn't you?"

"You kind of asked me the same thing on our last date," Rachel said, her voice sounding slightly sad.

"Oh…" Finn trailed off, suddenly feeling guilty. "I'm really sorry, Rachel. I didn't mean to be rude."

"No, no. It's okay. You didn't know…it's not a big deal anyway. It's just one of those things that I kind wish I did, you know?" Rachel said.

"Then why didn't you do it?" Finn asked. "If you don't mind me asking of course."

Rachel let out a small sigh. "At the time I had some issues going on in my life that just kind of prevented me from going. I had a choice to make and I chose to stay in Lima."

"And now you regret it?" Finn asked.

"It's not that I regret it…I just sometimes wish that I could change my path now. I'm working at a music store when I really thought I would be on Broadway someday," Rachel said.

"You could still be on Broadway," Finn offered.

"Yeah, right," Rachel said flatly.

"No, I mean it. I remember hearing you sing a couple of times through musicals or Glee club stuff. You're really good," Finn spoke.

"Thanks," Rachel said, a weak smile falling on her lips.

"That's even an understatement," Finn said, reaching to place his hand over hers on the table. "You're amazing, Rachel. You're like this big gold star. So just…don't give up."

Now Rachel's smile widened a little more as she gave Finn a nod.

"Okay. Just as long as you don't give up either," Rachel said.

"Me? What are you talking about?" Finn asked, furrowing his brow.

"With your memory. I can tell that your short-term memory loss really bothers you more than your letting on, but it doesn't define you. Don't give up on looking for a cure or maybe just having the smallest memory," Rachel spoke.

_Holy crap. She's even more amazing than I remember._

Finn smiled. "Deal. You don't give up on your dream and I won't give up on mine."

Rachel nodded. "Consider it done, Finn Hudson."

When their food finally arrived, Finn and Rachel fell into a conversation about Broadway. However, the conversation mainly involved Rachel talking, which Finn didn't mind at all. It's what he preferred. Seeing the way she lit up as she voiced her thoughts and opinions only made him smile.

After dinner, Finn paid and they walked out together into the chill January air. As they reached the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, they turned to face one another, exchanging smiles.

"Well, I guess this is goodnight," Rachel said, crossing her arms to try to keep warm. Finn had the sudden urge to take her into his arms and heat her up himself. However, he resisted in order to not freak her out anymore.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Finn nodded, feeling disappointment hit him as he realized he had to leave her.

However, after a moment went by, Finn realized he hadn't asked Puck to pick him up. He still needed to text him to let him know, which would result in him waiting in the cold for another fifteen minutes. Unless he went back inside, which he didn't really want to.

_Great. I always manage to make myself look like an idiot in front of Rachel. Job well done._

"You okay?" Rachel asked, seeming to notice the distraught look on Finn's face.

"Uh, yeah…it's just that I was supposed to text Puck to come get me and I forgot," Finn said, beginning to pull out his phone.

"Come get you?"

Finn nodded, continuing to feel pathetic. "I don't have my own car since the accident so he kind of drives me around. It's lame…but, you know."

Finding Puck's name in his phone, Finn began to type out a message to him.

"Well, I could drive you home," Rachel spoke up before he could finish his message.

Looking up from his phone, Finn raised a brow at her.

"I really appreciate that, Rachel. But I don't want to be a burden."

Rachel nodded. "What I mean is…I could drive you back to my place."

Finn's mouth went dry as he stared down at her. His hands were still frozen over his keyboard and texting Puck no longer seemed like an option.

_Am I really going to let Rachel Berry take me back to her place…? Hell, yeah. _

Sliding his phone back into his pocket, Finn nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good."

Rachel smirked up at him before taking his hands in hers and leading him into the parking lot.

When they reached her car, they both slid inside and buckled up before she pulled out of the parking lot. Finn couldn't help but feel his knee bounce as she drove, excited yet nervous to be going back to her place.

Rachel began to fiddle with the radio before she stopped on a familiar song. Finn could see the smile on her face from the corner of his eye, causing him to look over at her.

She began to hum quietly, which only caused a smile to spread across his face. How was it that she could make such a beautiful melody so easily?

_She really is something special._

Before he knew it, the car came to a stop and she was turning off the ignition. Rachel smiled over at him as she unbuckled her seat belt, causing Finn to do the same.

Following Rachel up to her place, Finn couldn't help but admire how neat and tidy everything in her apartment was. It was like everything had a place and it was always in that said place. He really needed to follow whatever system she had.

Finn continued to look around, taking in his surroundings that all represented Rachel in a different way.

On one wall there was a framed portrait of Barbra Streisand, then there was a table with perfect white roses. Everything just seemed so perfect as if her house was straight out of some home catalog.

"Nice place," Finn said, doing another slow full turn to look around. "You have all these cool archways that you don't really see anymore."

He turned back to look at her, noticing the smirk on her face.

"And I like this photo," he said, pointing to the portrait of Barbra. "You are a lot like her and –"

Finn was suddenly cut off as he felt Rachel's lips hit his and her body pressed against him. It took him completely off guard, but he didn't have any complaints. He was more than happy to comply with her motives.

Kissing her back, Finn's hands wrapped around her waist as he tried to bring her closer to him. Feeling her tiny figure in his hands send a wave of arousal through him, causing him to want more.

_Slow down, Hudson. You're just kissing._

"Couch," Rachel spoke between kisses.

_Or maybe more._

Finn managed to move them over the couch without breaking his lips from hers. However, when they got there, Rachel pushed him down first before bringing herself on top of him, taking him by surprise.

She straddled his crouch, causing her skirt to hike up a little so the fabric of her panties was against his jeans.

_Woah. This is moving fast. But this is all so freaking great_.

Rachel moved her lips down to his as they continued to exchange heated kisses. However, Finn felt Rachel's tongue run along his lower lip, causing him to open his mouth for his tongue to slide inside.

As their tongues moved together, Finn felt Rachel move her hips, causing her to grind against him. A groan rose in Finn's throat as he admired the sensation, wanting to feel it again. Lifting his own hips, he pressed him up against Rachel, only wanting more. He was hard now and there was now doubt that she could feel his erection through their layers of fabric.

Rachel's lips broke away from his as she began to trail kisses to his neck, continuing to kiss him there as she led up to his earlobe and nipped him slightly. Another groan escaped Finn as he pushed his hips forward again, enjoying another arousal sensation.

He had thought about being in this situation with Rachel many times. It wasn't right that he had thoughts about Rachel like that since he had been dating Quinn at the time. However, it always managed to enter his mind.

Finn always pictured being able to kiss Rachel senseless and the satisfaction of being able to take off whatever animal sweater she had been wearing that day. He could do that now, minus the animal sweater.

Plus, Finn didn't know how fast or slow he was supposed to take this. Back in high school Quinn wanted to take things as slow as possible and hardly even let him touch her breasts over her shirt. It was a miracle that they had sex during the first semester of their senior year. However, now he was older and the rules of the game were different.

He knew that he wouldn't allow himself to have sex with Rachel tonight. That was definitely out of the question, but then what else could they do? Finn almost hoped that wouldn't go too far only because he still had too much to learn about Rachel before things became seriously physical. However, it was hard to talk himself out of anything when she was now moving her hips against him and her lips were against his neck.

Suddenly, Rachel pressed her lips hard into his again and Finn felt his heart skip a beat as a strange image flashed from behind his eyelids.

He could see the street that he lived on and the familiar color of Rachel's car. However, that was all just small details compared to the moment Finn took Rachel into his arms and kissed her, the same quick heart race hitting him.

Finn must have frozen underneath Rachel because suddenly he felt Rachel pull her lips away from his. She furrowed her brow as she stared down at him.

"Are you okay?" she asked, sounding confused.

"I remember," Finn breathed.

Rachel began to search his eyes, still looking lost.

"I remember our first kiss…when you kissed me just now I saw it all, and it was absolutely amazing," Finn said, his brain feeling like mush.

He had remembered something. Four years of never remembering anything and now he found a small crack of light in all the darkness. The thought made him laugh as he stared up at Rachel.

"You remember?" she asked quietly, disbelief coating her voice.

"Yes. I remember. I remember my heart racing and the way your lips felt against mine. I really remember it all," Finn assured her. He wasn't just making this up in his head. He honestly had remembered the moment as if it were movie replaying itself in his mind.

"Oh my God," Rachel said, her mouth falling open slightly. "Oh my God, Finn!" she said again, but louder. She leaned down and hugged him as best as she could in their position, causing Finn to laugh again.

"That's so amazing. I can't believe it," she spoke in his ear.

"Me either," Finn said, shaking his head.

A proud sigh left him as Rachel pulled herself away. A large smile was spread across her face as she beamed down at him.

Suddenly, Rachel climbed off of him and ran into her kitchen.

Finn sat up from his spot, laughing to himself as he watched her.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"A moment like this deserves to be celebrated, Finn," she said as she came back with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

She poured them each a glass before handing one to Finn.

"To you, for having your first real memory in four years. The official beginning to reaching your dream," Rachel said, tapping her glass against his.

"And to you," Finn spoke before she could take a drink. "For the beginning of your journey to Broadway."

Rachel gave him a shy smile as she rose her glass closer to her lips.

"And…for saying yes to being my girlfriend," Finn said, his heart crashing into his chest. He was taking a leap of faith due to his good mood and he hoped he wasn't ruining their moment. There was the chance of her saying no.

Rachel's smile only grew wider as she stared at him. Finally, she cleared her throat and nodded. "And for you getting yourself a girlfriend as amazing as me," she said hitting his glass again before taking a drink of her wine.

_Did she just say yes to being my girlfriend? Holy hell._

Finn took a quick drink of his wine before placing his glass on the coffee table in front of him.

"I really couldn't do this without," Finn said, shrugging as he stared at her.

Rachel smile back before letting out a small laugh. "And you won't have to."


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: I hope that you all enjoy this chapter! This one includes some interesting turn of events that will make sense probably after the following chapters. Eep! But this chapter was fun to write because it's always exciting to write somewhat intense scenes. So I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint anyone! Love you all.

* * *

"It has almost been a week and he still remembers the kiss, Santana. It's progress, even if it's small," Puck said, pouring wine into four glasses.

Santana rolled her eyes, before taking one of the wine glasses and drinking from it quickly.

"Of all the things you could remember, why was it your kiss with Berry?" Santana said, her tone bitter.

Finn shrugged, sitting on one of the bar stools as he tried to focus on a spot on the kitchen counter. He had thought that Santana and Puck would be happy for him for having his real first memory, especially because he had managed to carry the memory with him into each day.

When he looked back he saw the football banquet, blackness, and then a small sliver a light that consisted of a kiss with Rachel Berry. At first he thought it was just a dream or his imagination randomly choosing to play a trick on him. However, he soon learned that was not the case. It all felt too real and officially became real when Finn opened up his "Read Me Every Morning" file and found a picture of Rachel waiting for him with a note saying "Your girlfriend, Rachel."

Even if he couldn't remember the dates that they had gone on or officially asking Rachel to be his girlfriend, Finn could remember their first kiss. That memory always caused his heart to race and a goofy smile to spread across Finn's face, clueing him in on exactly what kind of feelings he had for Rachel. It was his something to hold onto.

"Hello? Finn? Are you listening?" Santana's voice cut through his thoughts.

Finn blinked a couple of times, focusing on her again. "Oh, uh…what? Sorry."

Santana let out a small huff. "I said, do you have any idea what time she is supposed to be here? Dinner will be ready in like fifteen minutes and I'm not going to wait for the Schnoz just so I can enjoy my lasagna."

Finn glanced up to the clock on the stove, seeing that it was now 6:40.

"I told her to be here at 6:45, so she'll probably be here any minute," Finn said, smiling at the fact that Rachel would soon be joining them.

Over the past week Finn and Rachel had basically seen each other every day, at least that's what his notes had said. He read summaries through his computer reminders about how he had spent time with Rachel whether he visited her at work or they grabbed lunch or even dinner.

Even if it was frustrating that he couldn't remember doing any of those things with Rachel, Finn still couldn't help the butterflies that fled into his stomach as he read each line. It was clear that Rachel meant a lot to him even though every day was like seeing her for the first time again.

However, things were obviously going so well that Finn had asked Rachel to have dinner with him, Puck, and Santana. Even though Rachel had said yes, Finn wished he could remember what her initial reaction had been. Hopefully she wanted to come to this dinner and wasn't just saying yes to be polite.

"I don't see why we couldn't do this at your place. I had to dirty up my kitchen and Puck is even making me use my best dishes," Santana grumbled.

_What is her deal tonight? Is she just having a bad day or does this have something to do with Rachel?_

"We couldn't do it at my place because I have sticky notes hung up everywhere like some kind of lunatic," Finn said flatly.

"You could take them down. She's going to have to see your place at some point…maybe," Santana said, carrying a basket of bread to the table.

"San, could you just be nice for one night," Puck groaned, quickly finishing his glass of wine before pouring himself another.

"I am nice," Santana retorted, narrowing her eyes on Puck.

"Then ever nicer. If you screw this up for Finn then there's no way I'm going to your parents' for your aunt's birthday this weekend," Puck said, smirking.

"Don't make me face my aunt alone. You know that I hate her," Santana said back, scowling at him.

"_Then be nice_."

Just then there was a knock at the front door and Finn felt his heart slam against his chest. Suddenly he no longer felt cool and composed, but awkward in his own skin. For him, this was like his first impression with Rachel. He wanted to be the same man he had been since they had started dating, but how could he do that when he didn't remember that man?

_Just be yourself. I'm assuming that's as much as you can work with. _

"I'll grab the door," Finn said, standing from his seat.

"Please do," Santana said in a snarky tone.

"Santana…" Puck warned.

Before Puck and Santana could continue their bickering, Finn opened up the door, revealing Rachel on the other side.

Finn's eyes widened slightly as he stared down at the gorgeous girl in front of him. A girl who looked so familiar, but older and even more beautiful then she had in high school. Which Finn didn't think was actually possible. The picture that he had of her in his file definitely didn't do her justice.

"Rachel…hey!" Finn finally managed, attempting to compose himself.

"Hello," she smiled up at him, causing Finn's mouth to go dry.

"Come on in," he said, stepping back and opening the door wider so that she could walk inside.

Once she was in, Finn closed the door behind her before turning to smile at her.

"Oh, uh, I can take your coat. I mean, if you don't want to leave it on," Finn said, knowing his effort to sound at ease was failing.

"That would be great," Rachel said, shrugging out of her jacket. She handed it to him as well as her bag, gentling brushing her fingers against his.

Finn's skin ran warm from the small contact, causing his smile to go lopsided.

_I've probably touched her many times before this and yet I turn into a puddle when she barely taps me. Smooth._

Turning quickly to the hooks next to the door, Finn hung up Rachel's coat and bag. He then turned back to her, contemplating what to do now.

_Should I kiss her? Take her hand? She's my girlfriend and that's the type of stuff we do, right?_

Finn settled for wrapping his arm around Rachel's shoulder as he began to lead her towards the kitchen. He was glad to find Rachel's arm slipping around his waist, putting him more at ease.

"Did you find the place alright? I know it's kind of tricky because it's kind of in between two other complexes," Finn said, trying to seem casual with his own girlfriend.

"It was now problem at all. I have a GPS on my phone that led me right here," Rachel said happily, her voice causing Finn's heart to race again.

_Is it always going to be like this?_

"Oh, right. I forgot that those existed," Finn let out a small laugh.

Rachel squeezed his side gently, causing Finn to smile. It was as if she were reassuring him somehow and it was refreshing.

"Berry! Long time no see. How are you doing?" Puck's voice broke through their moment, causing Finn to look over at his best friend.

Finn was relieved to see the smile spread across Puck's face as he moved towards them, holding out his hand for Rachel to shake.

Rachel shook Puck's hand with the hand that was not currently wrapped around Finn's waist, smiling back at Puck.

"I'm doing well, Puck. How about you?" Rachel said, sounding completely in control. Meeting Puck was easy, but Finn couldn't say that same for Santana.

"I'm great. Glad to see my best friend with a girl at his side, especially since he's smiling like that," Puck said, gesturing to Finn.

Finn hadn't even realized that he was wearing a goofy grin across his face. Quickly he let out a nervous laugh, trying to smooth it away, but it still reappeared right after.

"I'm definitely becoming well acquainted with that smile," Rachel said, looking up at Finn.

"It makes him look like a complete psycho," Santana voiced, making her entrance.

Finally, Finn's smile faded as his eyes flickered over to her.

_Alright, here we go._

"Rachel, I'm sure you remember Santana. She's still just as bitter and evil as before," Finn spoke, keeping his eyes locked on Santana.

_Be nice, Santana. Just for tonight. _

"What can I say? It's a living," Santana said with a shrug. She didn't offer her hand to Rachel like Puck had, which slightly annoyed Finn.

"You have a really nice home," Rachel said, looking around them. "And dinner smells absolutely amazing. I really appreciate you letting me come over."

A small smile now sat on Finn's lips as he moved his hand from Rachel's shoulder to her back, rubbing her there gently.

"Welcome," Santana said shortly then turning to Puck. "Dinner's ready. Let's eat."

Santana then walked to the dining table, a large glass of wine in her hand.

Puck let out a small sigh, looking at Finn as he slowly shook his head.

Finn shrugged before grabbing one of the glasses of wine off the counter and handing it to Rachel.

"For you," he said as she took it from you.

"Thank you," Rachel replied with a smile and nod.

Finn took his arm off Rachel's back so that she could make her way to the table as he grabbed his own glass of wine.

"Don't worry. I'm sure San will ease up throughout the night," Puck whispered to Finn as they started towards the table.

"It's like she's not even trying," Finn replied, shaking his head.

Once everyone was seated at the table, there was little conversation as they all began to serve food on their plates. Finn could feel his stomach rumbling, ecstatic to have Santana's lasagna since it was one of his favorite dishes. Puck and him always begged her to make it for them back in high school.

"So, Rachel, I heard that you work at Music Go Round. How is that going?" Puck asked before forking a bite of lasagna in his mouth.

Rachel smiled. "It's going great. We're starting to get a lot more business since our owner, Larry, managed to get a better ad space in the newspaper. He's even going to let me start offering singing lessons to the costumers."

Based on how Rachel's smile grew, Finn could tell she was really excited about being able to give singing lessons. She did have a killer singing voice after all, which Finn was glad he could remember.

"How lovely," Santana said, not bothering to look up from her plate as she cut her food.

"Well, I think it's awesome," Finn voiced, causing Rachel to look over at him. "That Larry guy would be stupid not to let you give singing lessons. I'm sure that's only going to make business even better."

Rachel gave Finn a thankful smile, before looking back at her food.

"So do you see yourself taking over that store someday or are you planning on just being a washed up music teacher for years to come?" Santana asked casually.

"Santana!" Puck said, letting his fork fall onto his plate.

Finn's face grew warm as Santana's words set in.

_Is she really not capable of being nice for one freaking night? _

"What!?" Santana said, holding up her arms. "I was just asking."

"But it was rude and you know it was," Puck said, obvious irritation in his voice.

"Oh, so you're going to lecture me on what's rude now?" Santana retorted, raising a brow at him.

Rachel cleared her throat, breaking up Santana and Puck's bickering. "No, it's okay. I can understand why Santana would be asking me that question and I'm not offended." Rachel continued to sit up straight, focusing her attention just on Santana now.

"I plan on staying in Lima for a little while in order to be close to my family. However, owning the Music Go Round or working as some washed up employee isn't my intent either. Broadway is still my goal," Rachel said, shrugging.

Suddenly, Santana snorted, causing Finn to snap his head in her direction.

"What is the matter with you?" he fired at her, taking everyone by surprise.

However, Santana's wide eyes slowly narrowed on him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said, shaking her head.

"Yes you do. You're being a jerk to Rachel for now reason. She's a guest in your home and the least you could do is show her some hospitality," Finn continued, growing more irritated.

"I thought what she said was funny, so I laughed. Sue me for having a sense of humor," Santana replied, rolling her eyes.

"You have a cruel sense of humor, Santana. We all know that you were laughing at Rachel because you were making fun of her," Finn said, clenching his jaw.

"Get off my back, Hudson. I was just making conversation!" Santana said, gesturing towards Rachel. "She said she wasn't offended so just chill out!"

"Of course she said she wasn't offended. She's a guest and she was being polite, unlike you!" Finn snapped.

Santana scowled at Finn, her irritation obviously growing as well.

"You know what, Finn? I don't like her. Okay? I don't like her and I don't know if I ever will, so there you go!" Santana said, pushing her plate away.

"Santana, what the fuck?" Puck chimed in, taking Finn's side.

Finn could see Rachel tense from his side, causing him to reach our and place a hand on top of hers.

"We have a past, alright? And I just don't like her," Santana said, folding her arms across her chest.

Finn raised a brow. "You mean high school? The past where you were completely uncool to her and Rachel had to just sit there and take it for four years? Seems like a lot of one sided bullying going on to me and you're just too immature to move on," he said, stroking his thumb over Rachel's hand.

"Don't even talk to me about the past. Okay, Finn? Because you don't remember it and you have no idea what you're talking about," Santana gave Finn a fake smile and nodded.

_What a freaking low blow._

"You know, Santana…I knew you could be cruel, but I never knew you were such a heartless bitch," Finn said bitterly.

Finn could see Santana swallow hard as she just stared at him, trying to seem composed.

"If you didn't want Rachel to come tonight then you should have told me. I wouldn't have wasted her time just to have her get dogged on," Finn said as he stood from his chair and looked down at Rachel.

"Come on, Rach. Let's get out of here."

Rachel nodded, placing her napkin on the table as she stood as well.

"Aw, Finn. Come on, man. You don't have to go," Puck said, standing with them.

"I think it's for the best. I can't sit here in the same room with Santana just to have her insult my girlfriend," Finn spoke, feeling a rush as he referred to Rachel as his girlfriend.

Puck frowned, but gave Finn a nod, showing that he understood.

"Have a good night, Puck," Finn called over his shoulder as he led Rachel to the door, quickly grabbing their jackets and her bag.

Finn led them out of the apartment, handing Rachel her things so she could slip them on as they walked down to the street. Once they reached the sidewalk, Finn let out an annoyed sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I'm so sorry, Rachel. If I would have known that she was going to act like that then I would have never brought you here tonight," Finn said. He released his nose and shook his head, looking at the ground.

"No, Finn. It's okay-"

"It's not okay. She just sat there insulting you the whole entire time. You didn't deserve that and I don't even know where that all came from," Finn continued.

"Well…"

"I know that she made your life a living hell back in high school, but we've all grown up since then. This isn't high school anymore, and you can't treat people like that," Finn said, groaning.

"Finn, slow down," Rachel said, taking his hand. "Just breathe, okay? I'm fine. I mean, I was upset when she was saying rude things before because it was uncomfortable. But I'm fine now."

Finn shook his head. "How can you be so okay with all of this?"

He was obviously not okay with anything. Santana had taken shot after shot at Rachel even before the brunette had even got there. Then Santana even chose to insult Finn's memory, which was definitely cold. She was supposed to be his friend, yet she was treating him like he was a burden.

Rachel shrugged, looking down. "There's a lot more to the story than you know."

Finn's face became warm as he took in Rachel's words.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Rachel sighed, looking back up at him. "I don't think that I can tell you."

Finn lifted a brow. "You can't tell me? Why wouldn't you be able to tell me?"

_I guess Santana was right about me not knowing the whole entire situation._

Rachel pressed her lips firmly together, searching Finn's eyes.

"I want to tell you…but it's more complicated than that. I don't think I should be the one to do it," she said, causing Finn's confusion to deepen.

"Rachel…this is really messing with my head…" Finn said, shaking his head at her. "And tomorrow I won't even remember any of this ever happened and that sucks because you'll be hiding something from me and I won't even know about it."

Rachel frowned, making Finn feel slightly guilty. He didn't want what happened with Santana to cause issues between them, but now it looked like it was.

"I…I don't know, Finn. Maybe you should write a note in your notebook…but I just really don't think I should be the one to tell you," Rachel said.

Finn felt instant disappointment as Rachel still remained tight lipped. How was he supposed to carry on with everything when she was keeping something from him? Couples weren't supposed to have secrets, yet there were already secrets forming between them.

"Please don't look at me that way…" Rachel said sadly. "I really want to tell you, and I know it's not fair that I'm not, but I don't need Santana to hate me more than she already does. I will tell you sometime, I promise. But right now, while this is all still fresh, I'd rather not."

Finn studied Rachel for a second, contemplating what to do or say. However, he finally only nodded to her.

"Alright…I'll respect that. I just don't want you two to be on bad terms," Finn said.

Rachel shrugged. "That seems inevitable at this point. I mean, it's Santana."

Finn couldn't help but laugh at her comment, nodding to her. "You're right. You may be screwed for life."

Rachel laughed with him, and Finn tried to concentrate on their tender moment rather than the secret that she was keeping from him.

"Oh," Rachel said suddenly. "I got you something. I mean, it's nothing big, but I thought it might help you."

She turned to look through her bag before producing a small box. Handing over the box to Finn, Rachel smiled up at him, obviously excited about the gift.

"I feel really bad. I didn't get you anything," Finn said, taking the box from her.

"Don't fuss about that. This is just something small for you. To help you make another step towards your dream," she said.

Finn had read about the agreement he had made with Rachel to work towards their dreams; hers being Broadway and his being to recover his memory. Obviously past Finn had felt like it was an important conversation to include in his morning file.

Smiling, Finn turned his attention to the box and pulled it open. He was faced with a fancy pen, causing him to laugh. A pen was definitely not what he expected.

"Thank you. I'm sure it will be great for writing notes," Finn said.

"Oh, no! It's way better than that," Rachel said, reaching to take the pen out of the box. "There a button on the side that you can press and then record your voice. It's like a memo thing so you can give yourself small reminders. I thought it would be helpful."

Rachel looked at him shyly as Finn took the pen into his own hand and studied it more. A wide smile then spread across his face as he looked back at her.

"This is so awesome! Holy crap, this must have been pricey."

"It wasn't bad at all. I saw it and I knew that you needed to have it," Rachel said, seeming more excited again.

"I love it. Thank you so much," Finn said with a laugh before instinctively leaning down to kiss Rachel.

As soon as their lips met, Finn felt his heart skip a beat as he realized what he had done. However, when he felt Rachel kiss him back he became more relaxed.

When they finally pulled away, a goofy grin took over Finn's expression.

"Uh, sorry," he said, letting out a small laugh. "I just uh…"

Rachel giggled, shaking her head. "You don't have to apologize for kissing me, Finn. I am your girlfriend after all."

Finn's smile became more lopsided. "And I'm definitely a lucky guy."

"That you are," Rachel said with a nod before taking the pen out of Finn's hand and pressing the button. "I think I would like the honor of leaving you your first recording."


	9. Chapter 9

Author's note: I know that I have received a few reviews frustrated or concerned about finding out the implied secret Rachel and Santana are keeping from Finn, so I just wanted to provide some quick clarification. There is a reason why the secret has not been included yet. I know we're nine chapters into the story, but in my opinion there were a lot of other topics that needed to be covered beforehand. Something important does occur in this chapter that was always intended to come before the secret was let out. Also, it was important to me to really establish Finn and Rachel's relationship before that secret comes out as well. Now that both the important event has occurred and the relationship is more developed, the secret will be focused on more. I know that people are always eager for answers and information, but I'm not a writer who likes to rush things. In my mind, if the secret is out too early then I will have less to work with and this story will be completed in a matter of chapters. That's not what I want at all. I have learned that the build up to an important event is much more exciting than the actual event. I apologize that some people may not like the fact that I'm still holding onto certain information, but I promise there is a reason. This isn't just me neglecting to add in that section.

Anyway, with that said! I hope that you enjoy this chapter and don't focus on the information that is being help away, but rather focus on the exciting events that are currently playing out. Wooo. Okay, now I'm done. Enjoy!

* * *

Finn leaned his back against his locker, laughing at one of Sam's infamous expressions. Although this one sounded like a mix between Sean Connery and George Bush, but it still got a rise out of all the jocks.

It was lunch time and they should all be technically making their way to the cafeteria, but as usual they decided now was a time to loiter and goof off.

Suddenly, Puck randomly tripped one kid who was walking by, cracking up as the guy's books scattered all over the floor. Finn looked down at the books before glancing back up at the student, recognizing it as Kurt Hummel from his history class. The kid dressed a lot different than the other guys at their school and consistently got a lot of crap for it. But Finn always tried to be nice to him since they sat right next to each other in class and Kurt was nice enough to explain the Boston Tea Party to Finn three different times.

Finn frowned as Kurt scowled at Puck and then began to pick up his books. Without thinking, Finn leaned forward and picked up one of the books and held it out to Kurt. However, everyone around him seemed to freeze as they watched Finn with the book in his hand.

"Thanks," Kurt said, sounding a little shocked before taking the book from Finn. A weak smile spread across his lips, but soon faded into a frown as the other football guys started to snicker.

"Uh on, Finn. Did you see the way he looked at you? You better tell Quinn to watch out!" Puck voiced, elbowing the guy next to him.

Kurt furrowed his brow at Puck before staring down at his feet, obviously embarrassed but attempting to keep his pride.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you sounded a little jealous, Puck," Finn said, smirking at his friend. He then turned to Kurt who was now smiling as well.

It was no secret that Kurt Hummel was gay. Initially he tried to hide it, but he had now been out of the closet for two years now. His openness was accepted by some, but also caused teasing from others such as Puck.

But Finn wasn't one to bully. He was willing to stick up for the little guy. Kurt could love whoever he wanted to love. It didn't affect Finn in any way.

"I'm not jealous of this little weenie," Puck said, growing frustrated with Finn. "I should flush his stupidly styled hair down a toilet!"

"Whoa. Is there a problem here?" a new voice asked, causing Finn to look over to find that McKinley's Spanish teacher and Glee Club coordinator, Will Schuester, had joined them.

Finn instantly shrugged and shook his head. "No problem here. We're all just hanging out."

Schue raised a brow at Finn before turning his attention to Kurt.

"Everything okay, Kurt?"

Kurt's eyes met Finn's for a moment before he turned to Schue and nodded. "Yeah, everything is fine. Finn just had some questions about our history homework."

Schue eyed Kurt suspiciously, but then only nodded. "Alright. I just thought they were giving you some sort of trouble."

"Trouble? Us? Come on, Schue," Puck said, chuckling to himself.

"Crazy, right?" Schue said flatly, obviously not caring for Puck's humor.

"Mr. Schue! Kurt!" a high-pitched voice called suddenly, causing everyone to turn.

Finn's throat became tighter as his eyes fell upon Rachel Berry bouncing down the hallway, something clutched in her hands and a wide smile on her face. He couldn't take his eyes off of her as she got closer, however she was only focused on Schue and Kurt.

"I've been looking for you two everywhere!" Rachel spoke quickly, stopping in front of them.

"Why? What's going on?" Schue said with a laugh.

Rachel turned the letter in hands around so that they could see it. However, from Finn's angle he was unable to read what was written across the envelope.

"My NYADA letter came finally!" she said, her voice shaking with laughter and something else that Finn couldn't put his finger on.

"Oh my God! Have you opened it?" Kurt asked, his mouth falling open.

Rachel shook her head. "No, I thought I would wait for you two because this is important." She then looked down at the letter, seeming almost unsure.

Finn felt bad for watching their scene play out in front of him, but now he was too invested to pull his attention away.

_What is NYADA? Why is it so important?_

"Well, open it!" Schue said, smiling encouragingly at her.

Rachel nodded, taking a quick big breath as she began to tear open the letter.

Finn suddenly became aware that the other football guys were beginning to walk away, filing out one by one. However, Finn didn't move. He stayed locked in on Rachel's small fingers peeling back the paper in front of her.

When she finally had the letter open, she pulled a paper up to her eyes, quickly scanning over each sentence.

Suddenly, her hand came up to her mouth and tears filled her eyes.

_Oh no. She's not happy. What happened?_

Rachel lowered the letter from her eyes, looking at both Kurt and Schue.

"I got in…" she said quietly. A small giggle then escaped her mouth, voicing her shock and excitement. "I got in!"

"That's so amazing!" Schue said, quickly taking Rachel into a hug and laughing along with her.

"I'm so proud of you, Rachel!" Kurt chimed in, smiling at the small brunette.

When Schue and Rachel finally broke apart, Rachel rubbed her eyes and sniffled a little bit.

"I can't believe I actually got in," she said, more to herself than anyone else.

Finn studied her expression closely, aware that his presence was now most likely weird and possibly unwelcome. He should leave and let the three continue their tender moment.

However, before he could step to leave, Rachel's eyes suddenly flickered over to him. The look on her face turned from joy to instant shock as she stared up at him. In a way she almost seemed frightened.

_I should have left with the other football, guys._

"Uh, everything okay, Finn?" Schue asked, causing Finn to break his eyes away from Rachel's.

"What? Oh, yeah…sorry. I didn't mean to just listen in…I was just-"

_Just what? Interested? _

Finn was interested. He had cared about Rachel's excitement. He had cared about her letter and whether she had been accepted or not. In a way, he wished he could have been apart of their tender moment and given Rachel a hug when she found out her good news. But why?

"Congratulations," Finn said quickly to Rachel, attempting to recover from the awkward situation they had just been put in.

Rachel nodded to Finn, still seeming shocked and hesitant.

Finn wanted to say more, but was silenced when he heard his name called from a few lockers down. He turned to see Quinn standing there, raising an eyebrow at him.

_Not good. _

"Right. Well…bye, guys. Congrats again," Finn said, giving them all a shrug before walking to meet up with Quinn.

"What were you doing with Berry and the sequin King?" Quinn asked bitterly as Finn reached her.

They began to walk down the hallway together, moving in the direction of the cafeteria.

Finn shrugged like he had before. "Nothing," he stated. Which was the complete opposite of what he wished he had been doing.

Finn opened his eyes, finding an alarm clock sitting in front of his face, chiming away loudly. He furrowed his brow before quickly reaching over and shutting it off.

Pain shot through his head as he stretched out a little, his limbs feeling slightly achy. What had he done the day before? Not football practice. The football season was over and it was too cold outside.

Sitting up, Finn yawned and glanced over at his alarm clock to check the time. However, a file laying on his night stand caught his attention instead.

_Read Me Every Morning. What the hell is this?_

Pulling open the file, Finn began to read through all of the contents, his eyes widening as he tried to take in all the included information. However, his ultimate shock came when he found a picture of Rachel Berry near the end of the file, seeing that she had been labeled as his girlfriend.

"Holy crap," Finn whispered to himself.

An image of Finn kissing Rachel on a random sidewalk suddenly filled Finn's mind, and somehow he instantly knew that it had been his first kiss with her. However, there was nothing more than that. There was no recollection of a moment before or the moment after. There was only those few seconds of Finn approaching her and his lips meeting hers.

_How strange…_

Finn closed his eyes, furrowing his brow as he tried to remember something else. However, darkness swarmed him and he found that his headache only became worse.

_What a bust. _

Finn sighed to himself before pulling his blankets back. He moved to his computer located on his desk, just as his to do list included in the file had told him to do. Firing up his laptop, Finn was faced with a word document with a to do list and then a small note at the bottom of everything.

_Rachel gave you this cool pen. It's to your right and it's really awesome. Basically you can press the button on the side and record your voice, so you can make little memos or notes to yourself…which you'll need. Then you can take the pen apart and plug it into your computer to upload all the reminders and organize them. She left you one last night, but she said you couldn't listen to it until this morning…so I guess you can do that now. Just click on the other tab on your computer and the recording will be there. _

Finn's eyes moved to find the other tab on the computer, quickly clicking it to find a small box with a play, pause, and stop icon. He let his cursor hover over the play button, attempting to brace himself for what he was about to listen to.

_She's my girlfriend. What's the worst that could happen?_

Taking a quick breath, Finn clicked the play button, instantly smiling as Rachel's voice filled his ears.

"I think I would like the honor of leaving you your first recording. Now I'm backing away from you so that you don't hear what I'm saying to you. Don't give me that sad puppy dog face, Finn Hudson! You'll thank me later! Okay, now we're far enough away."

Finn let out a small laugh as he continued to listen to Rachel, attempting to picture everything in his head as he closed his eyes.

"So where should I begin? Let's see…Hello, Finn. This is Rachel Berry, your girlfriend. I think you have probably guessed that by now though. I got you this amazing pen as a gift so that you could record small reminders and notes to yourself, which seems like a good system. I wanted to tell Puck and Santana about it tonight…but well…anyway."

_Anyway what?_

"All that aside, I just wanted to let you know that I really like you, Finn. Which I hope that this doesn't scare you…because when you actually listen to this message you'll probably be fresh out of bed and have no idea what's going on. You most likely won't even remember the feelings you have for me…" Rachel's voice sounded slightly sad.

Finn could tell that even if he couldn't remember everything he had experienced with Rachel that he did have strong feelings for her. The same feelings he had for her back in high school. Except now she was….his.

"I almost feel selfish…you know? That I have the privilege to remember all of these wonderful moments we've had together already and that you don't. I'm not pitying you…I just wish I could take it all away sometimes. To take away all this pain that I know you're feeling. But I can't…but I guess I can try. That's why I gave you this pen. I thought that it would help you and if it does then great, but if it doesn't then we'll keep trying. I'll get you to your dream, Finn. I promise. Don't listen to what Santana says or anyone else for that matter. I'll make sure to do the same."

_Santana?_

"Okay, I should go. You're walking towards me with that goofy smile on your face, which means your most likely coming to kiss me. So just remember to-" But then Rachel suddenly lets out a loud squeal, interrupting the message.

Behind his closed eyelids Finn can suddenly see himself picking up Rachel and throwing her over his shoulder. She giggled as she began to kick her feet a little and then smacked Finn right on his backside.

The recording had already stopped playing, but Finn could still hear Rachel's voice fill his ears.

"Put me down, Finn!" she giggled, swatting him again.

"Only on one condition," Finn laughed, continuing to carry Rachel down the street.

"And what's that?" Rachel asked playfully.

"You kiss me," Finn said, smiling to himself.

"How about you put me down and I'll give you all the kisses you want?" Rachel asked, causing Finn to instantly put her back down on the ground.

Quickly, they moved to one another, pressing their lips together and allowing their arms to wrap around each other.

Finn slowly opened his eyes, feeling a breath of fresh air run through him as the scene drifted from his mind. However, it was easy to recollect the scene in his mind again, but thinking about the moment before and after was still a blur.

"It was a memory," Finn whispered to himself, a small smile taking over his lips. A laugh suddenly escaped him as he took the pen Rachel had given him in his hand.

Studying it for a moment, Finn felt a sense of gratitude towards to object. He assumed that it was the culprit behind his new memory, working just as Rachel had hoped.

_Rachel. Should I call her? I should call her, right? _

Finn searched his desk for his cell phone, finding it off to his left. He quickly picked it up and pressed it to his ear as it rang.

"Hello?" Rachel's sweet voice filled his ear.

"Rachel," Finn breathed, feeling a sense of relief.

Rachel giggled. "Calling to make sure that I'm real?"

Finn couldn't help but laugh at her comment. "Not quite…but I'm sure that's happened before."

"Not yet, but I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't expecting it to happen," Rachel said smugly.

Finn's smile was wide against his face. Even if he only had two small memories of Rachel being his girlfriend everything still felt so easy between them. It felt like Rachel had been in his life a lot longer than a few weeks. Technically she had been, but not like this.

"I was actually calling because…well, I guess I wanted to make sure what just went through my mind was real," Finn said.

"And what was that?" Rachel asked, her voice sounding slightly quieter.

Finn licked his lips, thinking back to what he had assumed was a flashback.

"I think I had a memory…I'm hoping it was a memory. I saw me picking you up on the street and carrying you on my shoulder. Then I saw us…kiss," Finn said, smiling after the word kiss.

"That was definitely a memory…" Rachel said, her voice ringing with slight disbelief.

A relieved sigh left Finn, as he relaxed in his computer chair.

_It was real. It's all real. I just wish I could have more._

"Oh my God, Finn! This is so amazing! The pen actually worked," Rachel said excitedly in his ear.

Finn smiled, nodding to himself. "Yeah, I think it did. I have you to thank for all of this, Rachel. I mean, you've managed to make more progress with me in the past few weeks then these doctors have in years. It's crazy."

"I guess I'm just your own personal remedy," Rachel said with a laugh.

"That you are," Finn agreed.

A comfortable silence stretched between the two for a moment before Finn cleared his throat.

"So, what are your plans for the day?" he asked.

"Well, I'm actually headed into work right now. It should be a slow moving day…so if my handsome boyfriend wanted to come and visit me then I wouldn't say no," Rachel replied.

Finn chuckled. "I'll be there in a half an hour. Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect. I'll see you soon."

"Bye, baby," Finn said before hanging up the phone. Suddenly his cheeks grew warm as he held his phone in his hand still.

_Baby? Did I just call her baby? Have I ever called her that before?_

Finn attempted to think back for a moment, but his memory was once again locked and not willing to give anything else away.

Shaking himself from his worries, Finn stood from his desk chair and moved into the bathroom to begin his shower routine.

Half an hour later, Finn arrived to Music Go Round and let himself into the store. He was greeted by a wide range of musical instruments and sheet music, fitting for a music store.

However, he was more pleased to see Rachel standing behind the glass counter, eyeing him smugly. His hands instantly became clammy as he stared at her, feeling his breath drain from his body.

"Hey there, stranger," Rachel cooed.

"Hello, beautiful," Finn said, feeling a sudden urge to hop over the counter and kiss her like he had in his flashback.

Finn walked over to the counter and leaned forward towards Rachel on the other side. She smiled at him, seeming to enjoy his actions.

"Someone is eager for a kiss," Rachel stated.

"Can you blame me? I just found out my girlfriend is the amazing Rachel Berry. Plus, you said that I could kiss you however much I wanted," Finn said, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh so now you're getting cocky over you newfound memories?" Rachel said with a laugh.

"Would you just kiss me?" Finn said.

Finally, Rachel leaned forward, closing the distance between them as her lips finally met his. However, when she tried to pull away, Finn moved himself forward, catching her lips again. He was determined to get all the kisses he wanted, even though that was an infinite number.

Rachel managed to finally pull her lips away from Finn's and take a step back.

"As much as I enjoy your kisses, I would rather not be fired if Larry catches us," Rachel said with an innocent smile.

"Then I guess we'll just have to wait 'til later," Finn said, giving her a challenging look.

Rachel smiled, raising a brow at him. Suddenly, the door chimed informing them that someone had just walked in. However, neither of them turned to look and continued to keep their eyes on one another.

After a few seconds of silence, Rachel turned her head in the direction of the door, her face suddenly turning white and her mouth falling open.

Finn furrowed his brow at her, confused as to why she would be reacting this way. Turning his head, he caught sight of exactly who had caused the color to drain from Rachel's face. In fact, it had done the same thing to Finn as he stared at the woman at the door.

"Quinn," Finn breathed, frozen as he continued to stare at the blonde.

"Walter down at the bike shop said you might be here," Quinn spoke calmly.

_Walter? The bike shop? What the hell is she talking about? _

Finn swallowed hard, attempting to compose himself but failing horribly.

How long had it been since he had seen Quinn? Better yet, what had happened between them that resulted in them no longer being together? Last time he had checked she was by his side at the banquet, but now Rachel had taken her place in his life.

"What…where have you been? Or have you been here? I mean…I don't remember," Finn said, shaking his head as a new headache began to form in his mind.

"I've been in Michigan. I guess I'm not really in your list of reminders anymore…or maybe I never was," Quinn said, shrugging. "But I came back and I'd really like to talk to you. Alone."

Finn felt Rachel's eyes on the side of his face, causing his eyes to flick back over to her. However, he couldn't read the brunette's expression. It was completely smoothed over, but something in her eyes almost looked confused…or maybe lost...hurt?

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Finn said finally, looking back at Quinn.

"We haven't spoken in four years, Finn. Don't you think we owe it to each other to just work through things and get closure?" Quinn said.

_Closure? Even if we get closure I probably won't remember it. I've probably asked Puck about you a million times, gotten my answer, and then just forgotten to write it down to remember the next day. _

"I don't know what needs closure, because I don't remember what happened," Finn said with a shrug.

"Then I can refresh your memory. Just give me twenty minutes of your time…just that much," Quinn said, her eyes softening.

Finn sighed, unsure of what to do. If he said yes then it could possibly make Rachel upset. However, he did want answers. He wanted the clarity that he deserved and maybe there was a chance that he would remember it this time.

"Fine," he said finally. "We'll talk."

Looking at Rachel again, Finn gave her a weak smile.

"I need to do this…I think it would be good," he explained, hoping she would understand.

Rachel nodded. "Do what you need to do." She then pulled away from the counter and made her way further down the counter, distancing herself from him.

Finn pressed his lips together, knowing that he had already made things messy between them. Maybe choosing to speak with Quinn was the wrong decision.

"Are you coming?" Quinn asked Finn, heading to the door.

Finn continued to stare at Rachel, but when she wouldn't look back at him he figured it was better to leave. Nodding, Finn followed Quinn to the door, looking over his shoulder one last time.

"Bye, Rachel. I'll call you later!" Finn called out, but Rachel still didn't look up at him as she gave him a small wave.

Reaching the street, Finn slid his hands into his pockets as he stared around them.

"Where exactly are we going?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Let's just go to that Starbucks across the street," Quinn said.

Finn replied with only a nod and walked by Quinn's side as they made their way to the coffee shop.

It was strange being with Quinn again. A part of Finn felt like he should feel comfortable with her, but he didn't. Despite the fact that Quinn had been his girlfriend up until his accident he didn't have those feelings for her anymore. All his feelings were now directed in another way completely.

However, when Finn woke up every morning didn't he think that Quinn was his girlfriend? Didn't he still get that warm feeling when he thought about her?

Glancing quickly over at Quinn, Finn felt a wave of disappointment and relief flood over him. There was nothing there. No flicker, no warm feeling. He felt empty. It was as if he was looking at a ghost from his past that he didn't really want to face.

But if Finn was capable of still losing feelings or gaining feelings for a person then that was a good sign right? It was like he was having a memory, but the memory only included his own emotions instead.

Sitting down at a table, Finn kept his hands in his lap. He wanted to try and keep as much distance between Quinn and him even if they were sitting at the same table.

"So, uh, how have you been?" Finn asked, unsure what to expect from her.

Quinn sat up straight, looking stiff from across the table. "I've been good…well, great. I guess I should say great."

Finn studied Quinn's expression. She was still beautiful, but definitely looked more mature and striking now. Her cheeks looked slimmer, making her jaw look strong and sharp.

"What about you?" Quinn asked.

"Oh, you know," Finn shrugged. "I'm taking it day by day."

Quinn looked down at the table, nodding at Finn's words. She looked sad, maybe even ashamed. However, Finn wasn't sure why she would be reacting that way. There had to be a reason.

"Quinn, what happened to us? Or…between us? I'm trying to understand, but I'm having a hard time," Finn said suddenly, eager for answers.

Quinn's eyes met his again as she sat back in her seat a little.

"How much do you remember?" she asked.

Finn furrowed his brow. "Uh…I remember the football banquet and giving you a ride there…being there with all my friends. But I can't see myself getting back into my truck and driving home. It's all just gone."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Finn looked down at his hands. "But I have had two memories in the past few weeks, which is a big step for me, I guess. They're the first new memories I've been able to make since the accident."

Quinn nodded, listening carefully to Finn. "But you don't remember anything about me or what happened to me after you accident?" Her tone was serious, causing Finn to grow more confused.

_Why? What did she do? Is there something big I'm missing here?_

Finn shook his head. "No…I'm sure I have notes about you somewhere, but nothing that I read every day or anything."

Quinn pressed her lips firmly together, making it hard for Finn to read her expression.

"Would you mind telling me what happened to you…? I'd really like to know…even if I will forget about it by tomorrow," Finn said.

However, Finn suddenly got an idea and reached into his pocket to grab the pen Rachel had given him. He held it up to Quinn with a shrug.

"I'm just going to record things…so I can listen to them later," he said, pressing the record button and placing the pen on the table.

Quinn nodded. "That's fine. I'm glad to do anything that will make anything easier for you."

"Great," Finn said, "So…do you want to start from the beginning?"

"Sure. Um, well when you got into your accident I came to visit you in the hospital," Quinn stopped, taking a deep breath. "And you were really beat up…it was really hard to see. I guess it kind of affected me negatively and my parents thought I needed to get away…so they moved me out to Michigan with my aunt and that's where I have been."

"And you just left while I was still in my coma? You didn't care to leave me a note or anything?" Finn asked, slightly annoyed.

Quinn shrugged. "I tried, Finn. But Santana and Puck wouldn't let me anywhere near you. They were being oddly protective and wouldn't let me do anything for you. So I left to Michigan…completely heart broken and worried about you."

Finn's brow stayed furrowed as he took in Quinn's words. Some things just didn't seem to add up. Santana and Quinn had been best friends, so why would Santana all of a sudden be against Quinn?

"But why wouldn't they let you see me?" Finn asked.

"I have no idea. I'm just as lost as you are," Quinn said, shaking her head.

"You could have called me though. You had to have known I was still here or accessed my number somehow. Why didn't you contact me?" Finn was throwing question after question at her, but he needed answers.

"I wanted to and I almost did multiple times. But I kept imagining you having this new life that you loved so much. I figured you didn't need me."

Finn scoffed. "Quinn, I can't remember what happened over the past four years of my life and falling asleep tonight will only swipe my memory clean again. Do you really think that I'm loving my life?"

"You seemed to be pretty happy when you were standing with Berry," Quinn pointed out, causing Finn's face to run warm.

It almost felt like he was cheating on Quinn even though he knew that he wasn't. He wasn't with Quinn anymore. That was over four years ago and now Rachel was his girl.

"Yeah…Rachel makes me happy. In fact, I'm positive that she's what makes every day bearable in my life now," Finn admitted.

Quinn frowned slightly. "Who would have thought? The quarterback and the pre schooler."

"Hey, don't talk about my girlfriend that way," Finn said, obvious annoyance coating his voice.

Using the term girlfriend in front of Quinn while he was referring to someone else was strange. However, Finn couldn't deny that he preferred Rachel holding that title instead of Quinn now.

"I'm just saying that it's interesting. I always knew she had a major crush on you, but I guess I never thought you two would end up together someday. I always thought it would be me and you…"

Finn's face grew warm as she mentioned them being together. He had really cared for Quinn and even loved her, but there was an obvious difference between how he felt about Rachel and how he felt about Quinn. Quinn had been safe and the type of girl he was expected to be with, but she made Finn feel small. However, with Rachel he felt invincible.

In the end, Finn didn't see Quinn and him lasting. Maybe they would be together a little ways into college. However, he always saw them falling apart at some point and starting on the next chapter of their lives. He just didn't imagine it would be like this.

"Well…I guess the world just had a really messed up way of saying that you and I weren't meant to be together," Finn said with a shrug.

Quinn shook her head, looking a little hurt. "I still think we could make it work."

_What? Make it work?_

Finn's eyes grew wide. "You're not suggesting what I think you are, right?"

Quinn sighed. "I know coming back here was foolish…but I had to see you. I'm not suggesting that we get together or try to make it work. I was just speaking hypothetically. Plus, I'm with someone else."

Finn lifted a brow. "Oh, yeah? That's good."

He didn't really understand why she was telling him all of this. What did it have to do with him?

"Yeah. You know him actually. It's Sam…Sam Evans."

_Whoa. Seriously?_

"Wow, Sam? That's crazy…well, awesome. But also crazy. When did that happen?" Finn spoke, staring at Quinn's smooth expression.

However, a silence stretched out before them as Quinn didn't answer his question.

_Is this some weird silent treatment?_

Finally, Quinn cleared her throat. "We've been together for a few years now."

"A few years? But you were in Michigan," Finn pointed out.

"He moved out there to be with me," Quinn said, looking out the window of the coffee shop.

_Okay…something is up…_

Finn sighed, wondering if he should keep pushing the subject. However, Quinn already had that look on her face letting him know that any further information was closed to the public. Four years later and he still knew her small quirks.

"That was nice of him," Finn said finally before glancing down at his watch. "Okay, we went over twenty minutes and I need to go."

Finn stood from the table and Quinn followed suit, pulling the strap of her bag over her shoulder.

"Do you think that I could see you again? I know it's a lot to ask, but I think getting on good terms would be good for you us. I'll be in town for the next week and seeing you would really mean a lot to me," Quinn said, giving Finn a weak smile.

"Maybe," Finn stated. He didn't really intend on going out of his way in order to spend time with Quinn. Especially because his life seemed to be just fine without her. Having Quinn around would only pose a possible threat to his relationship with Rachel and that's the last thing that Finn wanted.

Quinn tilted her head slightly to the side. "Come on, Finn. I'm not dangerous." A small smirk fell on her lips, showing that she was teasing him.

Finn picked up his pen off the table and slid it into his pocket, nodding to her.

"I know you're not. I just have to decide if I want to see you or not. I might have more questions…but right now I need to go.

Finn adjusted the collar on his jacket and then headed towards the door. "Goodbye, Quinn."

Once Finn reached the sidewalk he finally noticed the pain settling into the front of his head as it deepened. Everything was beginning to make his head spin. Waking up and finding out that the past four years of his life were gone, learning Rachel was his girlfriend, and now Quinn just showing up in his life when he barely knew she was gone. It was all hard to grasp, no matter how hard he tried.

Glancing across the street, Finn looked at Rachel's store again and shifted from one foot to the other.

_I could just go see her now…make sure that she's okay. The last thing I want is for Rachel to be mad at me. _

Rachel was becoming Finn's safe haven. The light that lead him home through all the darkness. It was clear that she was already having a positive effect on his life, which made Finn determined to keep her close.

Crossing the street, Finn jogged to the front door of Music Go Round before pulling it open. There was only two other customers in the store, but they were a couple looking through some records together.

Finn turned to the glass case where Rachel had been before, and let out a breath when he saw her still standing there.

"Rach, hey," Finn said as he approached her, taking his spot on the opposite side of the counter.

"Hello, Finn," Rachel said, pursing her lips as she barely looked up at him. She was going though some inventory sheets, but Finn knew that wasn't why she was being so short with him.

"Are you mad at me?" Finn asked, jumping right to the chase.

Rachel looked up slowly and shrugged. "Why would I be mad at you?"

"Because I went to talk with Quinn. I just didn't want to upset you…" Finn voiced, still feeling like Rachel was hurt somehow.

"It's nothing, Finn. Don't worry about it," Rachel replied as she shook her head.

"Well I am worrying about it," Finn said, placing a hand over hers on top of the counter. "You're my girlfriend and I want to make sure that you're okay."

Rachel let out a small sigh as she looked down again. "I just…don't have a good feeling about Quinn being back." She then looked up to meet his eyes.

"It feels like I'm going to lose you…or she's plotting something. I don't know. I've just…heard things about what happened when she left. Plus, the fact that you two were dating before your accident…I just assumed…that your old feelings would come back when you saw her." There was a frown on Rachel's lips, which Finn instantly wished he could smooth out.

"Hey, don't say that," Finn began, giving her hand a small squeeze. "Rach, I don't want you thinking like that. Quinn and I may have been together before my accident, but that doesn't mean anything. You and me…that means something to me. I look at Quinn and I feel nothing. I look at you and I feel…everything."

Rachel's frown was now disappearing, a slight smile forming on her lips.

"Going to talk to Quinn had nothing to do with my feelings. It had to do with me wanting to piece together another part of my past. But all the feelings I had for her faded somehow at some point, while my feelings for you just keep growing," Finn continued.

Rachel laughed lightly, shaking her head. "You really mean all of that?"

Finn smiled, nodding to her. "I do. I really do."

Rachel smiled weakly back. "Thank you."

"Now," Finn said, turning to the rest of the store. "Would you mind showing me the best pair of drum sticks that you carry?"


End file.
